Chapter 10: The Distant Meadows

The morning sun tapped Rolf on the shoulder the next day, which awoke him suddenly. Rolf leaned over and awoke Wilfred and Victor. They ate breakfast on the Distant Meadows watching the sun shoot up into the sky.

This day was an exciting day for Rolf, because he was now sitting on the ground of the Distant Meadows, the place his family had lost their prize Bible. Somewhere on this meadow, the book was resting, possibly damaged or even moved by the wind of a storm.

It was more than six years ago since the book was left behind. Rolf was only about seven or eight years old when he had journeyed to the cul-de-sac with his family. He still clearly remembered his experiences and the sadness his family was in after they realized that they had lost their Bible at the Distant Meadows.

It was a bright morning and the sun lit the land up as if it were a spotlight shining down on the exact location of Rolf's family Bible. A bead of sweat trickled down Rolf's neck as he proceeded into the Distant Meadows. Not a tree or anything other than flat land and short grass was in sight.

Rolf spent the entire morning searching for the Bible, but his luck ran thin. Lunch on the Distant Meadows was no more than canned beets and a gulp of water for Rolf. Afternoon crept into the day quickly, and there were still dozens of acres left to search on the Distant Meadows.

And soon, the moment of excitement came for Rolf and his animals. It was about 2:00 in the afternoon when Rolf spotted something from the corner of his eye. The land sloped just a bit and a rock was present resting on the grassy green ground. Rolf steered Wilfred and Victor toward this area of interest, and as they trailed closer and closer, Rolf realized that there was something else resting by this rock.

A nervous and excited shiver burst through Rolf's spine. He began to shake, and Wilfred and Victor stopped in their tracks. Rolf's eyes were focused directly on this mysterious and misplaced object. The gentle breeze and the beauty of the meadows did not even remotely distract him. He knew what he was looking at.

Rolf gradually lifted himself up off of Victor's back and he slowly began to walk toward the rock. His alertness strengthened with every footstep. He drew closer to the rock and finally knelt beside it.

Rolf leaned his head over the rock and gazed down upon the rectangular object that was lying against it. The object was partially implanted in the ground and partially above ground, and was withered down. Rolf grabbed hold of it and lifted it into the air for closer observation.

Rolf could not believe it. He was holding his long-lost family Bible.

Rolf eagerly but slowly flipped open the damaged book, and his eyes grew wider. On the first page, Rolf saw a photograph glued onto the page that was partially faded and rubbed down by the rain. One figure could still be made out in the photograph, and Rolf instantly recognized it as his Great Nano.

"Great Nano." Rolf whispered to himself. Tears began to cloud Rolf's eyes and the excited and nervous shivers once again shot through his spine. "Great Nano, Rolf has found one of the only pictures of you." He tried to hold back the rage of bittersweet tears that were developing in his eyes.

Rolf flipped to the next page, which immediately fell out of the book from being weakened by years of rain and harsh weather. Throughout the next pages, Rolf saw a great amount of text that was blurred and smudged by the rain. He read every word that was still legible and all of the sidenotes left by his forefathers. These notes were very wise and detailed all the words and sayings Rolf grew up with, those sayings that seemed so strange and awkward to the other kids in the cul-de-sac. Rolf eagerly flipped through every page in the damaged book, intrigued with the various things in the Bible. Pictures, text, and an assortment of notes, documents, and other writings were scattered in between the sacred pages, and Rolf's attention was so focused on this that he did was not even the least bit conscious of his surroundings.

At the sight of many of these pictures and words, Rolf burst into tears. It was unavoidable. This was a priceless family heirloom and Rolf was not about to just take it and leave. He had to thoroughly read through every bit of legible text and reminisce on all of the pictures that had been left behind.

Rolf kept turning the pages and turning the pages and finally stopped at the last page of the book, which had a picture of Rolf's entire family from back in the old country. There was almost no smudge or trace of damage on this special page, and Rolf could still clearly make out the figures in the picture. It was his entire family's portrait!

Rolf closed the book and glared at the cover, tears dropping out of his eyes. He held the book up into the sky and lied back on the grassy ground. "This is for you, Great Nano!" Rolf shouted at the top of his lungs, which echoed all around the Distant Meadows.

Rolf had done it! He had finally found his family's long-lost Bible in the Distant Meadows!