Back to the Present
Max led the group through the cemetery gates, down the hill, and into the edge of the woods behind the church.
“Where is he taking us?” Rebecca cried, out of breath.
“I don’t know,” Daniel said, pushing through the branches. “But he’s sure of it.”
The procession behind them grew. Churchgoers, neighbors, the pastor—they all followed in stunned silence.
After nearly ten minutes, Max stopped and began digging furiously beneath a thicket of brush.
“Help him!” Daniel shouted. “Dig!”
Several men dropped to their knees, clawing at the ground.
Within moments, they heard a tiny voice:
“Daddy…?”
The entire world seemed to freeze.
Daniel pushed past the dirt and debris and found her.
Lily.
Pale, dirty, but alive. Wrapped in the very same pink blanket, clinging to her notebook, eyes blinking in the light.
“LILY!” Rebecca sobbed, falling beside her daughter. “My baby, my sweet baby!”
“I… I drew the deer,” Lily whispered. “But I got lost… Max found me. He stayed with me…”
The pastor crossed himself, tears streaming down his cheeks. Others wept openly.
Daniel pulled Lily into his arms, clutching her as if he’d never let go. “We thought we lost you…”
Max sat beside them, tail finally wagging.
