"Wild strawberry jam is just better," Helen repeated once more. Kate looked at her stubborn mother with a tender smile. There was no talking her out of it; her mother had her heart set on those wild berries.
"Wild strawberries are special," Helen murmured with a dreamy smile. "They smell like birdsong, woodsmoke, and freedom..."
"Alright, Mom," Kate laughed. "I've been wanting to go for a hike anyway. I'll get you your berries."
"Then I'll handle the pie," her mother replied with a playful wink.
***
Now Kate stood looking at her basket, filled to the brim with the fragrant forest fruit. Is it enough for jam? It should be, but then again... Oh well, I don't have anywhere else to put them anyway, Kate thought as she started back toward the car.
She had left it on a trail near the edge of the woods, meaning it was about a three-hundred-yard walk. She had a good sense of direction and wasn't afraid of getting lost—a skill she'd learned as a child. Her father had been a hunter and often took his little daughter into the woods. Curiously, Kate couldn't remember a single bird he'd shot or a single animal caught in his traps. Though her dad always blamed "hunter's bad luck," she eventually realized he never intended to kill anything. He just loved wandering through the woods; he understood the forest and knew how to listen to it. And someone who knows how to do that has nothing to fear.
Seeing her SUV, Kate quickened her pace. She was getting hungry, and her mom had promised a pie. Near the car, she spotted something yellow and blue that looked like a blanket. It was strange; where could it have come from? She hadn't seen anyone else out here. As she drew closer, she froze: a little girl was asleep, curled up in a worn plaid throw.
The child's face was streaked with dirt. Her small hands tightly clutched a teddy bear to her chest. Feeling Kate's presence, the little girl stirred and opened her eyes. She sat up abruptly.
"Are you going to take me home?" she asked timidly.
Kate shook her head, half-expecting the child to be a hallucination brought on by exhaustion and a long day in the sun. But the vision didn't fade.
"How did you get here?" Kate finally asked.
"I came in a car with Aunt Linda. But then Aunt Linda drove away, and I stayed."
"Are you hungry?"
"Yes," the girl answered automatically.
My God, who is this Aunt Linda? What car? Why would she leave a child in the middle of the woods? This is insane, Kate thought.
The girl pulled a clear plastic bag from behind her back. She rummaged through it and pulled out a piece of bread.
"Here. There was cheese and two apples, too, but I already ate those. Are we going home now?"
Kate looked helplessly at the bread offered by the grubby little hand.
"Can you show me the way?"
"No," the little girl admitted sadly. "Aunt Linda and I drove for a long, long time. I even fell asleep. Aunt Linda said the berries in these woods were as sweet as candy."
"Wild strawberries, huh? Sweet as candy," Kate muttered through gritted teeth.
She was starting to understand. It was so simple: drive a child to a remote forest, leave them with a blanket and a bag of food, and disappear. Formally, it wasn't even murder—just abandonment.
"Alright, listen. You're coming home with me. I'll get you some food and let you rest. Then I'll go to the police, and we'll find your parents."
***
"Linda, think! Where did she go? Which way did she turn?!" Pale as a ghost, David shook his wife by the shoulders.
"Let me go, you're hurting me!" Linda sobbed.
"I didn't see! I turned away to get a raincoat from the car, and Lily was just gone. Oh, David, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!"
The woman collapsed to her knees, wailing and rocking back and forth with her hands in her hair.
"Watch Toby!" David yelled, grabbing his jacket from the rack.
A second later, he was starting the car. Linda heavily pushed herself up from the floor. In the corner of the room sat a thin little boy. His large brown eyes were filled with anxiety.
"Mom, is Lily coming back? They've been looking for three days and haven't found anything."
"I don't know, Toby," Linda sighed, smoothing her disheveled hair.
***
"And so the knight traveled across the whole world, cleared the forest where the bandits hid, slew four dragons, and finally found his little daughter," Kate narrated softly.
Lily, dressed in soft plush pajamas, was drifting off. At the police station, they had taken Kate's statement immediately and even allowed the girl to stay with her while they searched for the parents. The doctor who examined her was brief:
"She clearly spent several days in the woods. It seems she managed to find some food..."
"Yes," Kate confirmed, "she had a little bit of food with her."
"Because of that," the doctor continued, "there's no severe malnutrition. But try to keep her on light meals for a few days. Chicken soup, lean steamed meat, stewed vegetables. Give her some fruit compote; it's very hydrating."
The investigator, after listening to Kate's story and speaking with Lily, sighed.
"Unfortunately, Kate, these stories aren't as rare as you'd think. Lily says her mother passed away, and Aunt Linda is her dad's new wife. Not everyone can accept another person's child. Some prefer to ship them off to boarding schools. Others... well, this happens. It's horrific. Let's hope the father is at least decent."
***
David had long since forgotten what sleep felt like. Linda begged him to lie down, even offered him sleeping pills, but it was useless. Looking at his tearful wife only made him angrier. How could she? She went to the woods with a child—how could she take her eyes off her? Yet, seeing Linda suffer, he felt guilty for his rage. He hadn't planned on marrying again so soon.
It had been two months after Jane died when David finally found a suitable nanny for Lily. Quiet, caring Linda had recently left a husband—a violent drunk who liked to take his frustrations out on his wife and son. Linda had agreed to work as a nanny for the orphaned girl, only asking David if she and her son could move into the spare room. David agreed. Life grew calmer. Linda took care of Lily, never raised her voice, and always comforted the little girl when memories of her mother brought tears.
Soon, Lily grew attached to her kind nanny. David's heart felt lighter when he saw his daughter sitting on Linda's lap listening to a story. That's when he decided to propose. David wasn't in love with her, but... did that matter when it came to Lily? She would have a mother, and he would have a wife. Wasn't trust and respect a good enough foundation for a family?
***
Kate watched with pleasure as Lily spun on the carousel. They had decided to spend the day at the amusement park. They'd already ridden the Ferris wheel and eaten multi-colored scoops of ice cream in waffle cones. Now Lily was circling on the platform, squealing with joy every time she passed Kate.
"You're just like my mommy," the girl confessed on the way home. "She used to take me on the carousel too. And Daddy would take pictures."
Before Kate could answer, her phone vibrated in her pocket.
"Kate, we have news. The father has been located. Could you bring Lily down to the station around five o'clock? Can you make it?"
"Yes," Kate whispered, glancing at the girl.
Lily was busy looking at the souvenirs they'd bought at the park kiosks: cheap plastic bracelets, new hair ties, and a mysterious keychain that changed colors when shaken.
"Are you sure he's really her father?"
"That's why we need you to bring her in. If it's her dad, she'll recognize him."
***
Kate walked into the investigator's office, holding the girl's hand. The man sitting at the desk bolted upright.
"Lily!"
"Daddy!" The little girl leaped into her father's arms.
David pulled his daughter close, burying his face in her golden curls, and began to sob.
"Daddy, don't cry," Lily repeated, stroking his hair. "Don't cry, I'm okay."
The elderly investigator turned to the window, his own eyes stinging. David set his daughter down and walked over to Kate, who was standing still.
"Thank you," he whispered.
Tears were still streaming down his face. He dropped to his knees, took Kate's hands in his, and kissed them fervently.
"Thank you!" he repeated. Kate stammered, "Please... please, stand up!"
"David," the investigator called out, "before you go home, explain something. Why do you think your wife gave the search parties the wrong direction?"
"What?" the man asked, confused.
"Lily wasn't found in the woods your wife described. She was miles away from the search area, in a completely different direction."
"Maybe..." David thought for a moment. "Maybe she was just in shock. You saw her; she was hysterical..."
The investigator pursed his lips. "Very well. We'll look into it. Go home, David. You need to be with your daughter."
"But come to my place first!" Kate smiled. "We need to get Lily's things."
***
"She said the strawberries in that forest were as sweet as candy," the girl told her father excitedly.
They were sitting in Kate's kitchen. David took a sip of tea from a beautiful porcelain cup. Kate remained silent.
"Have some jam, David," she said, just to break the silence. "Lily really liked it. It's wild strawberry; my mom made it herself."
"Wild strawberry," David repeated thoughtfully. "Wild strawberry."
***
When they got home, David asked his daughter to sit in the car for a few minutes. He walked up to the house and looked through the open window.
"Linda," he called out. "Come out here for a second."
The woman stepped onto the porch and stopped in front of her husband.
"Did you find out anything?"
"I did..."
"What? Tell me!"
David looked his wife in the eye. Her gaze held genuine anxiety. Of course it did.
"Linda," he began without preamble, "I know. You took Lily to the wrong woods. You intentionally misled the searchers. Lily told me you drove deep into the middle of nowhere. You told her there were sweet strawberries there. Now, listen carefully: I'm not going to the police, because I feel sorry for Toby. Who would he have if you went to prison? But I won't let you near my daughter again. Pack your things right now and go to your mother's. I'm filing for divorce tomorrow. Now tell me: why? What did Lily ever do to you?"
Linda gave a crooked smile. "You're a decent guy, David. But we never had a family. For you, it was always Lily first, and then Toby and me. Everything for her... I'll go. Tell Lily I said hi."
***
Helen poured her daughter more tea and put another slice of pie on her plate.
"You did a good thing, Kate. It'll come back to you."
Kate sighed. "I miss Lily so much, Mom. You know, when they told me I was infertile, I decided fine, I'll just live my life, there's so much to see... But when Lily showed up, it felt like I was given a daughter. And then I gave her back. I had to; she has a loving father. But it's like... a piece of me was cut out."
Helen nodded sadly, stroking her daughter's hand.
On Saturday morning, Kate was woken by a child's shout.
"Kate!"
"Kate!" a man's baritone joined in.
Kate looked out the window. A car was parked at the curb, and there stood David with a beaming Lily in his arms. Kate threw on a jacket and ran outside.
"Lily!" She scooped the girl up. "You came to visit?"
David smiled. Kate noticed he looked much better than the last time she'd seen him. The lines of grief around his mouth had softened, and he looked years younger.
"Lily misses you very much, Kate..."
"Please, call me Kate."
"Right... Kate. Lily talks about you all the time. I should have called, but I didn't think to get your number last time. We decided to drive over and try our luck."
"Oh, I'm so glad you did!" Kate squeezed the girl tight. "I'm so happy to see you!"
"Next Saturday is Lily's birthday," David said. "Would you like to join us?"
The girl wrapped her arms around Kate's neck and whispered in her ear, "Come, please come, please come!"
Kate laughed happily. "Of course I'll come! Now, come inside and have some tea."
***
David looked at his daughter with a loving gaze. Everything was perfect: the birthday dress (he'd suggested pink, but Kate and Lily insisted on sky-blue with white lace) turned Lily into a princess from a fairy tale. Her blonde curls were held back by a bright blue satin ribbon. The birthday was a success.
Earlier that morning, they had picked up Kate and gone to the movies. Kate had found out about a new animated film, and Lily couldn't wait to see it. Next on the agenda was the amusement park—the same one Kate and Lily had visited before.
"The whole family is here today!" the smiling ticket-taker laughed. She recognized Kate. "And Daddy's with you this time!"
Kate and Lily shared a playful look. That evening, they drove Kate home and sat in her cozy kitchen for tea and cake. David watched as the two of them curled up in a chair together under a blanket, chatting about nothing in particular. He wanted it to be like this forever: a warm house, good tea, and a happy Lily in the arms of a woman who would never betray her.
Later at home, as Lily put on her favorite plush pajamas that Kate had bought her, she clutched her teddy bear and asked her father:
"Daddy, can Kate live with us?"
"I don't know, Lily," David smiled gently. "She has her own things to do, her own life."
"I'll ask Bear!" the girl decided and dove into bed. Her father tucked her in.
"Bear? Is he magic?"
"Yes," Lily nodded firmly. "Mommy gave him to me, and all mommies are magic."
"Oh really?" her father teased.
"When I was in the woods, I asked Bear to let someone find me. And Kate came and found me! Now I'm going to ask him to make Kate live with us."
"Goodnight, kiddo." David kissed his daughter's head and left the room.
***
Kate sighed, checking her phone for the hundredth time. It was Saturday, but David and Lily hadn't arrived. No call, no text... She had grown so used to spending her weekends with them that she felt lonely. Suddenly, the phone rang. Kate snatched it up.
"Kate, we can't make it today. Lily's got a bad cold."
"Does she have a fever?" Kate asked quickly.
"She did last night, but we got it down."
"I'm coming over!" Kate wasn't asking; she was stating a fact. "I'll bring some honey and stay with her."
***
"Kate," the girl whispered conspiratorially, "I asked Bear to make you live with us."
"We both asked," David added. "Lily and I. Do you think it'll come true?"
Kate laughed. "Well, if you both asked..."
Three years later, David and Kate stood in the doorway of the nursery, arms around each other. Lily gave her baby brother a soft kiss on the cheek and climbed into her own bed.
Despite the doctors' previous predictions, Kate had become pregnant a year after the wedding. She and David had a wonderful little boy. Lily was thrilled; it turned out she had been dreaming of a brother for a long time. Kate never stopped thanking heaven for her luck—she finally had everything she'd dreamed of: a loving family, a caring husband, a daughter she'd found, and a son of her own.
"It was a good idea to name him Teddy, wasn't it?" her husband whispered, kissing her temple.
"It was. After all, the bear is the one who helped us."
0 comments