Jan awoke dizzy and cold. For a minute she couldn’t think where she was. She tried to sit up. A terrible stabbing pain went up her left arm. She cried out. Tears came to her eyes and with them memory flooded in.
She was alone in the secret cellar of the barn. Alone and hurt in the pitch darkness. The ladder had broken under her weight letting her fall.
And the lantern had smashed.
She got to her knees and tried to stand up. Her head spun. There were flashes of white light in her eyes. Moving made her arm hurt so badly she thought for a minute she would be sick. Abruptly she sat down again biting her lower lip.
Even if she could stand, could she climb that rotten ladder in the dark? Panic rose in her. “Help, help! Someone, help me!” she called over and over until her throat ached.
Whoever would hear her? No one came to the barn from Gramps’ house. And he had told the children not to come either. Fred and Susan wouldn’t disobey. She knew Julie wouldn’t either. How Jan longed for her twin!
Fear swept over her in waves. Never had she been so afraid. She was so alone and it was so dark. If only it weren’t so dark. “Shall not walk in darkness...” What was the rest? She tried to think. “...but shall have the light of life.” That was it. Now where had she heard that?
Suddenly she began to cry, great sobbing cries. For she remembered that those words were from the Bible. Jesus had said that about Himself. He is the light of the world. But Jan knew she didn’t have Jesus’ light. She hadn’t thought that she needed it. So here she was hurt, alone in the dark.
And the darkness was more than the dark cellar. It was inside of her as well. Why did she let her temper get the best of her? Why had she disobeyed Gramps and come here? Why did she lie? As all the wrong things she had done rose up in her mind, she cried even harder.
It seemed so plain all at once. She had been fooling herself, telling herself how “good” she was. But look what she had done! Why she was just like that monkey in Mrs. Murphy’s puppet show. Hiding behind her own idea of goodness to be a Christian was like the monkey hiding under the lion’s skin to be a lion. It didn’t work!
Then more words from the Bible came to her mind. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.”
“Dear God, I’m like that monkey,” Jan found herself praying. “I need to be a new creature like that verse says. Help me find out how to really be a Christian. And please send someone to get me out of here.”
Strangely she felt better inside, though her arm ached and throbbed horribly.
She had no way to tell how long she sat there huddled up. She might have slept a little. Later she would not be able to remember.
After awhile she heard something. Was it mice? The idea made her shudder. No, it sounded like soft footsteps. For a moment her mind refused to believe her ears. Who could be in the barn at night?
“Help, please help me!” she called. The footsteps stopped.
“No, don’t go away! Please help me!” she yelled louder, panic again in her voice.
Tears sprang to her eyes as she heard an answering call.
“I’m down here. There’s a trapdoor in the floor,” she tried to explain.
For what seemed a very long time there was no sound. Jan found herself holding her breath. She let it out in a long sigh as the trapdoor creaked open. A light flashed in her eyes blinding her for a moment.
She heard a gasp as a dark face appeared over the edge of the trapdoor. It was Quang.
For a minute neither spoke. Both were too surprised at seeing the other.
Jan found her voice first. Her relief at seeing someone, anyone, made her words tumble out. “The wood was rotten and I fell. My arm hurts so badly. It’s awfully dark down here. Please get my Dad.” The last came out in a little sob.
Quang seemed dazed and didn’t answer at once. But at the word “Dad” he nodded and smiled. “I go get Father. He help.” His voice was proud.
The light disappeared.
“The light, please leave the light,” she called in fright.
He managed to prop the trapdoor up with the crow bar. Then he set the light near the opening. The next minute he was gone.
It seemed hours before Dr. Hua was there peering over the side. Then her own father was there too. The sight of her dad made her cry again.
They had brought a stout ladder which they carefully lowered into the hole. Soon Dad was down lifting Jan in his strong arms.
“Wait, Dad. There are two things on the floor that I want, a slip of paper and a metal box.”
Dad shone the light on the floor and soon found both things.
Jan gave a watery chuckle as he handed them to her. After all this trouble she was not about to leave what she had found!
Dr. Hua reached down and helped Mr. Davidson and Jan up the ladder. Then by the light of the lantern he took a look at Jan’s arm.
“Broken without doubt,” he said. From somewhere he produced a bandage and a sling. With these he expertly wrapped her arm.
“That should make her more easy until you can get her to hospital,” Dr. Hua told Mr. Davidson.
And help it did. Her arm still hurt, but the terrible pain was partly eased. She sighed in relief.
Then Dad carried her across the yard to where he had parked his car behind Gramp’s house. Gently he seated Jan in the front then turned to thank Dr. Hua.
Jan could see Gramps was there too, leaning on his cane. While Dad said a couple of words to him, Jan whispered to Quang, “Thank you, Quang. I ... I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t helped me.”
Even by the dim light of the car’s headlights, Jan could tell he was embarrassed. He looked down at the ground and kicked at a stone. “Is O.K.,” he mumbled.
Then they were off to the hospital. Here things blurred in Jan’s memory. There were bright lights, gently prodding fingers, and a trip to X-ray. Lastly the terrible pain of setting the broken bone. At last it was at an end.
It was very late when Jan and Dad finally got home. Mom met them at the door. She had a hot drink ready. Tenderly she tucked Jan into bed like she had when Jan was just a little girl.
In spite of the now dull pain in her arm, Jan closed her eyes and was soon asleep.