Hi, guys! Here I am back with the next chapter. It was supposed to be uploaded tomorrow, but I have to work all day, and I wouldn't have had the time, so I thought I'd post a day early.
A Cry in the Park
Chapter 4
The story of Louise in the well had become the talk of the town; groups of women discussed the slow rescue operation over coffee or at the hairdressers'; men at work would mention it as they stood around the water cooler under the pretext of getting a drink; kids would discuss it with friends as they played games and ran around outside. It was perhaps the most interesting thing to ever happen in the small town, which drew the attention of a larger audience. As was the case in Seymour's Bay, families in Trenton, Vineland, and even Philadelphia would sit down after dinner and switch on the nightly news to see how the girl in the well was faring, hoping that she would be rescued soon.
It was a typical morning at Wagstaff Middle School; teachers marching briskly, downing the last of their coffee; students were chattering amicably, pushing, clamouring, some dawdling, some rushing to get to their class on time, making last minute dashes to their lockers, before the final bell rang.
Ms. LaBonz, who taught first period English, sat impatiently behind her desk as her class entered, chattering away as usual, taking their seats and continuing to talk about their respective weekends, most of them completely ignoring the teacher, who sat silently.
Eventually, row by row, the students settled, and LaBonz began to take the register, satisfied with the level of quiet.
"John?" she called, looking up at the student in question.
"Here."
"Sarah?"
"Here, miss."
"Louise?" When she did not get an answer, she looked up and found Louise's desk empty. "Where is Louise?!" she huffed, her brown eyes scanning the room, sighing heavily.
"Didn't you hear? She fell down a well," said Regular Sized Rudy, raising his hand. He had wanted to miss school that day, to go and watch the rescue efforts, but his mother wouldn't hear of it.
"What?"
"Yeah, she fell down on Friday, and they still haven't gotten her out."
"Okay, then," Ms. LaBonz continued to take the register, not believing him. Although she owned a television, she rarely watched the news, nor did she follow the news online. She was thinking of a wishing well, and was actually disappointed that Louise had not been able to come up with a better excuse for her absence, and she made a mental note to phone the girl's parents.
However, she was not able to teach much during the lesson, for the discussion had turned to Louise.
"I can't believe she's been in a well for three days. She must be so scared; I would be scared, because I don't like the dark, or being underground, and my cat wouldn't be there with me, so I would hate it," said Harley, shaking her head.
"I just heard about it this morning," said John. "I didn't think it was true. How come they haven't got her out?"
"She's buried in rubble," Rudy told him, "so they have to dig."
"Well, even so; how can it take three days to get someone out of a well?" asked Sarah, and the topic of Louise in the well continued all throughout the lesson, despite LaBonz's efforts to maintain order and she was extremely thankful when the bell rang, and she was able to go to the seclusion of the sacred teachers' lounge.
"What a morning!" she huffed, immediately pouring herself a coffee. "Those kids just would not shut up! Something about Louise Belcher being in a well." She looked around at all the other teachers in the room, and they all stared back at her, the few that didn't know not quite knowing what to make of this news.
"Oh, I heard about that, as well," said Ms. Schnur. "Everyone's talking about it. Sounds crazy, right?"
"I heard that too," said Frond, who had crept up on the edge of the group. "I didn't really believe it, but apparently, her brother and sister aren't here either."
"It does sound a little far fetched," said LaBonz.
Frond picked up the phone and began to dial, intending to call the Belcher home.
"No answer," he said after a while, hanging up. LaBonz picked up the remote and aimed it at the television, flicking through the channels. When she reached the local news channel, she stopped and the teachers watched the screen silently, waiting.
"Welcome to the midday news, I'm Valerie Hope," said the young, attractive brunette on the screen. They listened to her talk for a while, before she mentioned Louise and a photo of the girl appeared above her head. "And the rescue efforts to free nine-year-old Louise Belcher from an abandoned well continues. The little girl was pushed into the well on Friday evening, and remains partially buried in rubble. Reporter Olsen Benner is live at the scene. Olsen?"
The scene then cut to the Wharf Park, where Olsen was standing near the well. At this point, the camera panned down to the well, and all of the teachers' jaws dropped, unable to believe the size of the well. LaBonz couldn't quite believe it, but then the camera panned over to the Belcher family, and she then knew it to be true. "Well, we'll need to give an assembly, to inform the children," Frond decided.
"But they already know what's happening," said Ms. Schnur.
"Yes, but some children are going to be a bit frightened about all this," said Frond. "This is a freak accident, and we need to let the kids know there's nothing to worry about."
"Well..." the teachers looked over at Principal Spoors.
"It might be a good idea," said Coach Blevins.
"Alright, then, do it," said Ms. LaBonz, after downing her coffee. "Otherwise, the kids won't shut up about it in class."
"Okay, an assembly today," said Principal Spoors, "just be brief, don't go into too much detail, and tell the kids to not bother the family." Frond nodded and left to prepare.
At Huxley High School, Logan opened his locker and searched for his books. Upon finding them, he slammed the locker closed, before two pretty girls caught his eye.
"'Sup, ladies?" he grinned, placing one hand behind his head and leaning against the locker. They did not answer him; instead they pulled a face and rolled their eyes. "Hey, what's all that for?" he asked, when they strolled right by him.
"What are you even doing here, Logan?" one asked, barely turning around to look at him.
"Yeah, shouldn't you be out pushing little girls into wells?" called her friend, before they continued walking down the hall.
Logan felt his face burning as the nearby students sniggered and stared.
"It was an accident!" he yelled at their retreating forms, before marching to his first class, stamping his feet all the while.
It seemed that he couldn't get away from Louise, no matter what. Not unlike Wagstaff Elementary, Huxley High had their own news broadcast. However, their show was about actual news topics, focusing on what was happening in the community.
At the end of second period, the television was switched on, and students laid down their pens to watch the stories.
"Welcome to the Huxley High News," said co-anchor Phoebe. "The big story everyone's talking about is happening in Wharf Park right now."
"That's right," said co-anchor Kate. "A student at Wagstaff Elementary is trapped inside an old well in Wharf Park. She was pushed in on Friday by a Huxley student, who shall remain nameless, and dozens of rescue workers have been trying to free her."
Logan scowled as they showed Olsen Benner at the well site. It was clip that had been featured on Channel 6 news that morning.
"Louise Belcher has now been trapped for over 60 hours," began Olsen. "Very early this morning, some new drills arrived, which are capable of drilling at least seven to eight inches at a time. As the current drills the rescuers are using are only able to drill an inch an hour, officials are certain that Louise could be rescued by the end of the day." Olsen moved closer to the well, and Brian aimed the camera at Tim and Charlie. "How is Louise doing?" she asked.
"She's really frustrated, and tired," Charlie revealed. "She just wants to get out, and is mad at us because it's taking so long."
"Hopefully, she'll be out soon," said Olsen, and Charlie nodded. "There are a lot of wires and cables in the well. Can you tell us what they are?"
"It's equipment we're using to monitor her."
"Such as?"
"Well, these hoses are giving her oxygen and warm air. There's a microphone down there so we can hear her, and a speaker so that she can hear us. There's a little camera so we can see her, and a light. And her parents have put her night light down there, to give her a bit of comfort."
Upon hearing that, Logan straightened up. Night light? "She needs a night light?" he blurted out, causing everyone to look at him.
"She's a kid; most kids are scared of the dark. So are some adults," said Annie, fixing him with a steely glare. Logan pulled a face and did not answer. For the first time since Friday, he actually felt a little bit guilty. She needed a night light? Louise Belcher needed to have a night light? She could hang out with a biker gang, but she was afraid of the dark?
Mr. Frond stood in the sports hall, waiting quietly as the children filed in noisily for morning assembly. The kids took their time taking their seats, trying to make sure they sat next to their friends, chattering away, happily ignoring Frond, who was still waiting.
When there was a reasonable level of quiet, Frond spoke up.
"Children, I have some news for you," he began, and the chattering gradually became even quieter. "Some of you are probably aware, that one of our students, Louise Belcher, is currently trapped in a well."
The few students that didn't know immediately turned to their neighbours, as whispering and murmuring began to arise from the bleachers. "As you know, this is an extremely upsetting time for her family and friends. And I want you all to know that there is no need to worry; what happened to Louise was a one-off. It's not going to happen to you."
"Well, duh! She was pushed in!" called Zeke, and once again, the few students that did not know this, began to mutter, looks of shock on their faces.
"I know that," said Frond. "I'm just saying that this isn't going to happen again. If anyone has any worries or concerns, you can talk to me. Just don't go bothering her family."
"Is Louise going to die in there?" asked Darryl, thrusting his hand into the air.
"No, she's not," said Frond, certain that they would get her out soon. "But if you feel that you need to talk about that, come to me."
That concluded the assembly, and the children hurriedly scrambled out to the playground, where the air was soon filled with excited shrieks and chatter.
Regular sized Rudy stood alone against the wall, not really wanting to play.
"Hey, Rudy!" he turned to see Zeke approaching him, with Jimmy Jr not too far behind. "You okay, man?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah," he said, looking down at the floor. "Just can't believe she's still in there."
"I know." Zeke stood beside him, leaning against the wall. "But you know Louise; she's a tough one; she'll be fine."
"I hope so."
"Hey, come on, this is Louise. She ain't afraid of nothing. She'll be out by the end of the day." Rudy looked up at Zeke, feeling a tiny bit better. Of course Louise would be okay. He knew her, he knew that she would get through this.
"I'm going down there after school to watch. You guys gonna come?"
"Sure we will. Wanna play some ga-ga ball?" asked Zeke and Rudy smiled.
"Okay," he grinned, and they headed over to the ga-ga pit.
On Saturday, Louise's story had made it to the front page of the local newspaper; the headline was "Girl still trapped in well," above a photo of Louise, with the story continuing on page three.
Sunday was a bit more elaborate; the front page consisted of a large photo of the rescue efforts; a group of grown men crowding around rescue shaft, with the headline declaring that Louise's liberation was a "matter of time"; the following two pages featured interviews with policemen and volunteers, detailing the rescue operation, about how the family were keeping vigil, about how the doctor at the site was growing concerned about dehydration, what it was like digging a tunnel in such cramped conditions, and how the ordeal had brought out the best in people, most of whom just wanted to help.
Other newspapers had caught wind of the bullying, and ran those as cover stories. Headlines like "Girl trapped in well was pushed", and "Louise bully 'wanted revenge'" were sure-fire conversation starters.
On Sunday evening, a woman had shown up at the rescue site, claiming she knew how to get Louise out of the well in no time at all. When Richards and Davis indulged her, her idea turned out to be using a "very, very extendable claw grabber" to grab the girl and pull her back up. She had made her own and brought it with her, ready for them to use. The contraption consisted of an ordinary claw grabber, attached to several others, all of which had had the end snapped off.
She had seemed so genuinely concerned that all the two men could do was assure her that they would give it some thought, and if they could use it, then they would.
This had been happening a lot lately; earlier that day, a man had shown up, and told them to soak a rope in superglue, lower it down the well until it touched Louise, and then pull it up once it had dried, which they explained wouldn't work as all it would do would remove Louise's hat. And if they tried again, they explained it wouldn't work as all it would do would remove the hair (and possibly the skin) from Louise's scalp.
Somebody else had told them to attach a hook to the winch used to lower the rescuers down the shaft, and lower it down the well, and pull Louise up that way, which wouldn't work as Louise couldn't grab on to it, nor could the hook safely grip any part of her body. Another suggestion (from a child, however,) was to use a superhero with stretching abilities; "they could stretch their arm down the well, and then pull her up!" The little boy's father could only look at the two chiefs, and they nodded understandingly.
"Well, now, that's a good idea, son," Davis had said gently, bending down so he was eye level with the excited boy. He had no idea how to let the child down gently. "But I think the superheroes are all a little bit busy right now, saving the world and all. But if we get hold of one, we'll bring him here, okay?" That seemed the placate the boy, and he left with his father.
Once again, Richards and Davis could only stare at each other.
Teachers from Louise's school were also interviewed. Whenever a person is in peril, it is human nature to only talk about how good a person they are. In Louise's case, the teachers could do little more than express their sympathies, and hope that the girl would soon be freed. When questioned, they would reveal that Louise was an 'active, energetic student,' choosing not to elaborate. Even Mr. Frond couldn't bring himself to say anything about her, except he hoped her rescue would come soon.
The principal had also spoken to the school that morning, since most, if not all of the students had heard about the story. He merely explained that Louise had fallen into a well, and to not bother the family, but if they wanted to send them any well wishes, could they please wait until after the rescue. Unfortunately, the teachers could do little to prevent the students from travelling to the actual rescue site when school had let out; many of them were accompanied by their parents, who were a little bit more compassionate and felt sorry for the girl and her family.
The children, however, did not all feel the same way; a sort of gambling operation had sprung up in the school playground; kids were taking bets on how long Louise could survive, and what type of injuries she had. The odds that Louise would die were currently at Wednesday night and the winner would receive twenty dollars. Most of them seemed to agree that Wednesday would be the day, and the stakes grew higher as the betting intensified.
For the longest time, the Belcher family sat in silence and watched the rescue effort. Bob was sat next to the well, talking to his daughter.
"They're getting really close," he told her. "These new drills are great."
"Oh, great," she tried to sound sarcastic, but she was too tired. "When are they gonna get me out?"
"It'll be real soon," said Bob, looking down into the pitch black, as Louise gave a little hum in response. "Louise?" He heard a slight tired whine through the headphones.
"What?"
"Just... try and get some sleep, okay?" he asked. "It'll help speed things up." She didn't answer him, and Bob decided to leave and let her try to sleep, and so he rejoined the rest of his family.
Tim and Charlie now read to her during the day and night, or whenever she got particularly agitated, as a way of keeping her distracted.
Linda was keeping track of how many hours Louise had been trapped; they were in hour 65 at that moment. The waiting was agony for her; all she wanted was her child, to hug and comfort her, and she couldn't do that. She could hear and see her, but she couldn't touch her. Carol was sat next to her, doing her best to comfort the mother, but of course, the only thing that could comfort Linda was seeing Louise come out of the well.
Bob was mentally preparing himself for the inevitable hospital trip; no matter what, he would always hate the place, but he was always willing to go there if his children needed it He was sure, he was desperately telling himself that Louise wasn't hurt too badly; he was thinking nothing more than a few cuts and bruises. He had to think that; he couldn't let himself think anything else.
Tina, on the other hand, couldn't shake off the fact that Louise might be badly injured; she would be very surprised if Louise came out unscathed. Her thoughts weren't usually this dark and realistic, and it upset her.
Gene, like Tina, had an unusually realistic way of thinking; he knew there was a possibility that Louise was hurt, but he couldn't imagine just how badly, though. He knew that she was trapped under rubble, but she had been shouting and bossing people around, so he believed that any injuries she may have were minor.
The family's attention remained focused on the well in which one of their own was trapped, but they still did not speak.
As her son and husband were at school and work, Cynthia took the opportunity to go shopping. She needed to get her hair done, plus she would never pass up a bit of retail therapy. She intended to spent most of the day out.
Cynthia made her way to the salon, so that she could shop with freshly washed and coloured hair, and approached the receptionist.
"Have you got any appointments for today?" she asked.
"I'll just check for you, miss," said the young woman, who began flipping through a book. "We do have an opening at 12:15, if that's good for you?"
"Hm," Cynthia pursed her lips. It was not good for her; it was a 45-minute wait, and she didn't want to go shopping until her hair had been done. "It'll have to do; I'll wait," and she sat down, grabbing a magazine as she did so.
As she skimmed the fashion and beauty magazine, she became aware of one of the other patrons looking at her. When Cynthia looked over at her, the woman quickly buried her face in her own magazine. "Can I help you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Upon hearing her sharp tone, the woman looked back up.
"You're the mother of that boy, aren't you?" she asked, and another waiting patient glanced over.
"Which boy? There's more than one, you know." Cynthia remarked snidely.
"The one who pushed that little girl into the well. The bully," said the woman, putting just a hint of emphasis on the last word.
"My son is not a bully!" Cynthia slammed her magazine down and glared at the woman.
"He pushed a nine year old into a well; I'd call that bullying," said the woman smugly, and the other lady nodded in agreement.
"I wouldn't," said Cynthia.
"And you did say that he stole her hat," interjected the second woman. "He stole her hat, and he pushed her down a well, and you don't see a problem with that?"
"Okay, he didn't know about the well! If it had been covered, then she wouldn't have fallen in!"
"But he pushed her; it's his fault."
"You know what; I don't have to put up with this!" Cynthia was on her feet now. "My son is a good boy, and we actually know Louise and her awful family, so I can tell you that she's the one who starts this!" She turned on her heel and marched out of the salon.
She was fuming as she barged through the shoppers, how dare they assume that it was all Logan's fault? It wasn't his fault that Louise fell into an uncovered well. If it had been filled in and covered like it was supposed to be, then this wouldn't have happened. It wasn't his fault that she stumbled backwards and didn't look behind her. It wasn't his fault that she was still stuck in there.
She entered a nearby clothes store, and began browsing the rails. Picking out several items of clothing, she soon began to forget about the two women. However, she noticed more than a few other shoppers looking at her, whispering behind their hands to their friends, discretely pointing her out.
Cynthia, determined this time to rise above it all, silently queued up to pay for her new dresses and shoes. As she got closer and closer to the till, she caught sight of the newspaper stand. The local paper, the Bay Gazette, was displayed prominently, and on the front page, a picture of Louise. "Louise still trapped in well" read the headline, with the subheading suggesting that it may be another full day until she could be rescued.
Cynthia took a deep breath, before deliberately dropping the clothes on the floor, and storming out.
Logan wasn't faring much better. Apart from registration, he had been completely ignored all day, and if people weren't pretending he didn't exist, they were giving him filthy looks, and muttering rude comments under their breath. It was really getting on his nerves; even his friends were acting a little bit distant.
He was able to ignore most of the comments, as he walked through the halls with clenched fists, and slouched in his chair during lessons, a scowl on his face.
But the final straw was during his history class, when two students behind him were discussing Louise.
"You know, that doctor said she could have died from the fall."
"Well, yeah, falling that far down could have done some serious damage. And, apparently, the doctor said that if they don't get her out by tomorrow, it'll be too late." Logan had had enough. Rising from his seat, he grabbed his backpack and marched out of the room.
"Logan?" said his teacher as he approached the door, but the teen ignored her. "Logan!" she called once again, as he left the room, slamming the door behind him.
He left school, still fuming. He was being treated like a criminal, and he couldn't stand it.
He pulled his skateboard from his backpack, and jumped on it, skating down the street. He'd already decided that he wasn't going back to school until this fiasco was over, which it would be by the end of the day. He knew it would be. Louise was too stubborn to die; she wanted to hang around and torment him.
He went past the Steps, and made his way home. He began to think about what would happen if Louise died. The police had mentioned that he could be charged, but what would happen to him if she did die? Would he be arrested? Would he go to jail?
When he arrived home, he intended to go straight up to his bedroom, but unbeknownst to him, Cynthia was home, and she was still fuming.
"Logan?" she asked, getting to her feet as she caught him in the hallway. "What are you doing home?"
"I ditched!" he snapped, throwing his skateboard on the ground.
"What? Why?"
"Because all everyone keeps talking about is Louise! And all they do is just glare at me, and mutter things."
"I know what you mean."
"I'm not going in tomorrow!" Logan crossed his arms obstinately.
"Well, you have to," she told him.
"Why?! All everyone's gonna do is treat me like crap, so why should I?!"
"Because you need to go to school! How do you think it's gonna make us look if you refuse to go in?"
"I don't care!"
"I don't care if you care or not; you're going to school tomorrow!"
"I'm not!" Logan shouted, before storming upstairs to his bedroom, and slamming the door.
By 2 o'clock Monday afternoon, Louise had been trapped in the well for 68 hours, and there was little more the family could do except talk to her. The drillers had managed to get another 8 inches closer to her, and they were cautiously optimistic that Louise could be rescued that very night.
Bob tried not to get his hopes up when Carol had told them that, as he didn't want to be disappointed, but every time the signal was given for the cable to be raised, the Belcher family would sit up slightly, hoping to see Louise.
At that moment, Davis was sitting with them, as well as Carol, and was talking to them.
"When we get to the last foot of rock, we're going to dig it by hand," he was saying, "because if we use the drills, the vibrations will cause another cave-in. However, digging the rock by hand is going to take a while; we don't know how long, but we'll do our best to go as quickly as possible. When we reach the well, they will break through, and then the paramedic will remove all the rubble and bring her out," the way he was talking made it seem like it was going to happen very soon, Linda thought, "and they'll bring her up, and take her straight to the hospital - just to be sure," he quickly added, catching Linda's eye. "Once she is free, the well will be filled and then capped securely."
"I'm going with her in the ambulance," said Linda, looking Davis in the eye, silently daring him to tell her that she couldn't.
"That shouldn't be a problem," he said amicably.
"I'm going as well," said Bob, tearing his eyes away from the well.
"You may have to ride up front," Carol told him. "There won't be enough room for you both in the back." Bob and Linda looked at each other, trying to silently communicate. Both of them wanted to be in the back with their daughter.
"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," said Bob after a few moment's silence, and Linda nodded.
"Wait, what about the kids? We can't leave them here," she suddenly realised that if she and Bob both rode in the ambulance, the children would have no way of getting to hospital. Davis did not answer, and instead waved Richards over.
"Mrs. Belcher wants to know if there's any way her other children can get to the hospital, since she and her husband both wish to go in the ambulance," he explained, and Richards looked thoughtful.
"Well," he began slowly, trying to think of something, before it came to him. "Your doctor has told us that he's already categorised Louise as a level 1 trauma, which means that she'll be seen as soon as she arrives at the hospital. Now, of course, we'll want to get her to the hospital as quickly as we can, because of the nature of injury. If it comes to it, a police car will escort the ambulance, and your children can ride in there, if you wish."
That seemed sensible enough to Linda and Bob, and so they agreed to it. Richards and Davis then left and continued to oversee the rescue operation.
Tim and Charlie continued reading to Louise, while Cabell gave her another quarter of sugar water.
Unfortunately, Louise hadn't learned her lesson from yesterday. She barely had the strength to lift her head, but she nonetheless managed to drink it all. It took her a while, but she eventually finished the bottle.
"More?" she asked quietly, not having the energy to do anything more, and the two policemen glanced at each other, feeling terrible.
"Louise, I told you that it has to last," Tim called.
"Need.. more. Please?" was all she could muster. They felt terrible for denying her, but they had no choice in the matter.
Not long after, Big Bob and Mort returned. Earlier that day, Linda had noticed that they were running low on food, but she was far too preoccupied to go out shopping, so when they had visited in the morning, Linda had asked if they wouldn't mind running to the shop and picking up a few items, and that she would pay them back when she could. Big Bob had told her not to worry, and had gone out and bought enough food to last them a week, all on him.
Mort was sat next to them, talking, but Linda was barely registering what he was saying to her; she was just too worried. Her daughter was trapped in a well, and had been so for the past three days. Sometimes she felt like she was being punished for something she had done; her child in a life-and-death situation was her punishment for being a terrible mother. She couldn't think of any other explanation, because nothing else made sense to her. She still didn't understand why Logan had pushed her in, how could he be so cruel? She would have never imagined that her daughter would be able to fit in something that small, but her voice and the images on the news truck confirmed it. It felt so strange and foreign for her to be sitting and doing nothing; her child was in danger, she wasn't allowed to help, and it tore her up inside.
"She's gonna be fine," Mort was saying, and Linda forced herself to focus on him. "You know how tough she is."
"Yeah, I know," said Linda quietly. She rubbed her face worriedly, and looked back over at the well.
"Hey, do you remember when you guys finally scared her on Halloween?" asked Mort, and Linda smiled at the memory.
"Yeah," she grinned, "it was a great day. I still can't believe we actually did it. We couldn't have done it without you and Teddy."
"Ah, we were happy to do it. Hey, we didn't go overboard, did we? She wasn't too scared?"
"No, she was fine; she'd stopped shaking before we got out of the house, and she slept fine that night." Linda smiled slightly as she remembered Louise practically bouncing in her seat on the ride home (Bob driving very slowly) as she recounted the night's event, a huge grin on her face. "How are we gonna top that?" she asked.
"I don't think you can," said Mort. "Anything you try, she'll be onto you; you'll have to wait a few years."
"Good point. Well, we've got plenty of time to think of something."
"Yeah." They both fell silent, and after a few minutes, Linda returned to the well to talk to her daughter. Placing the headphones over her ears, she assured Louise that she was going to get out of the well. There wasn't much else to say, except that she loved her, and that she was going to be okay, and she would listen to Louise's echoey voice as she mumbled in reply.
Even though Louise was tired, Tim and Charlie got worried when she slept too much; the only thing worse than hearing her whimpering was not hearing her at all. If Louise fell silent for more than thirty minutes, the two officers would begin to shout down to her, sometimes waking her up, and to keep the girl awake, they would talk to her. Usually, one officer would wear the headphones and just talk to Louise, telling her funny stories, trying to lift the girl's spirits; they would tell her that her family were waiting to see her, and they would tell her that she would be out very soon. Louise continued to respond to them, much to their relief.
Tim and Charlie still remained by the well; Charlie had left briefly Sunday evening to head home and see his family, and get some much needed sleep in a bed, and had returned very early Monday morning. In his absence, officer George had listened to Louise along with Tim. Tim, who was married with a baby on the way, had been home once, on Sunday morning, and had spent some time with his wife before returning to his job.
Usually, they would work in shifts during the day; one would talk and listen to Louise, while the other walked around, stretching their legs, and helping out the others where they could, and then after a while, they would swap over. They continued with this routine when night fell, only one person would sleep, while the other remained awake. Sometimes, they both laid by the well for hours, and other officers would step in when they wanted a break. If Louise was particularly annoyed, then Tim and Charlie would both be there.
The strain was beginning to show. They had all been working non stop for three days, and they had still not reached the well. All of the people surrounding the rescue shaft: the volunteers, the drillers, the policemen, the firefighters, the paramedics, not to mention the onlookers and the media crowded behind the barriers, they were all waiting for the breakthrough, which they felt sure would happen at any moment. But, as the hours melted away, and the drillers continued digging, the hope and optimism began to dim.
Dr. Cabell was beginning to worry, Louise had been trapped for almost 70 hours now, and he was getting concerned about her condition. But if he was worried, that was nothing compared to how Linda and Bob felt. They were getting desperate.
"Three days," Linda said to Bob, her face taut. "She's been in there for nearly three days now." Bob was at a loss for words, so he pulled his wife into a hug. Gene and Tina watched as yet another depleted oxygen tank was replaced with a fresh one.
Cabell was again lowering the thermometer down the well; when he pulled it back up, he beckoned Richards and Davis over.
"The temperature's dropped a bit," he told them. "I want to increase the amount of warm air we're giving her. And increase the oxygen, too; I want to keep her alert." The two men nodded, and Richards stepped aside to make a phone call.
Davis kept coming over to check on the family and give them updates, trying to keep them calm and not worry too much. Of course, there wasn't much to say except that they were still drilling; throughout the course of the day, they managed to get twelve inches close to Louise; they had now dug 27 inches across to the well, and it was only 33 more inches until they reached the well, but at the unsteady progress they were making, it was still uncertain when the girl would be freed.
"Maybe they'll get her out tonight," said Teddy, trying to keep optimistic, but the family didn't look convinced.
"It's taken them two days to dig just over two feet!" said Gene. Like the rest of his family, he was annoyed at the slow rate the rescue workers were going.
"It is not going to take much longer," Linda insisted. "They've brought in more people, and they've got better drills; it can't take much longer." She rose from her chair and walked over to the well.
Try as he might, Bob couldn't get himself to believe that.
He looked over at his wife, who was knelt by the well, talking to Louise.
With each passing moment, the situation seemed to become more and more serious.
He needed to be strong for his wife and family; he wanted to break down and cry, but he felt that if he did, then everything else would fall apart, so he did his best to keep his feelings in check. All he could do was think about the moment when Louise would get out of the well.
Louise was still talking to them, which kept morale up. It meant that she still had strength, and energy left. However, she wasn't talking nearly as much as usual; she had stopped ordering them about, and sounded tired. She was breathing rather rapidly, which worried Cabell.
"You have to get her out within 24 hours; she won't be able to maintain her body temperature, she's getting dehydrated," he was saying to Richards and Davis; the three of them were standing next to the well, while Charlie and Tim lay beside it.
"Look, we're going as fast as we can," Davis tried to assure the doctor.
"She won't survive in there for much longer."
"Well, if you would just give her a decent amount of water, that wouldn't be a problem!" snapped Charlie, causing them all to look down at him.
"I've told you why I'm only giving her a little," he said.
"That little girl's health should come first!"
"I know that; that's why I'm doing this. It may not seem like it, but I'm helping her."
"It doesn't seem like that to me," said Charlie.
"Alright," said Davis sharply, turning to Charlie. "Wilkins, let the doctor do his job; he knows what he's doing." Charlie opened his mouth to protest, but then closed it.
"We know," Richards tried to keep his voice low and calm. "We're doing everything we can to get her out, okay? We can't do any more than what we are." They were just as worried as he was, and they could work faster, then they would.
Regular sized Rudy, Zeke, Jimmy Jr, Andy, Ollie, Darryl, Pocket sized Rudy, Wayne, Millie, and Harley had arrived at Wharf Park, and were now squeezing through the crowd to get to the front where they could see.
The area looked no different than it had since Friday; everything was still the same. Regular sized Rudy just stared at the well, while Millie wiped her eyes, her bottom lip trembling. He could see the Belchers' sitting nearby, huddled together, looking worn out. The two policemen remained by the well, sitting cross-legged, one with the headphones over his ears.
"Wow, I've never seen it so packed in here," said Jimmy Jr, looking around at the rescue personnel, the reporters, and the onlookers.
"Yeah, it's crazy," Regular sized Rudy muttered, looking back at the well.
"That poor kid," came a voice from next to him, and Rudy looked up to see a man he did not know, staring at the well, and shaking his head.
"Do you know how far they've gotten?" he asked, and the man shook his head.
"No; all they keep saying is a few more hours. The only people that actually know are the drillers, and the family." Rudy nodded.
"Makes sense," he said quietly. "I hope they get her out today." The man nodded at him before a wail from Millie caught their attention.
"Why are they taking so long!?" she cried. "Why don't they let me do this?! Just tie a rope around my feet, and I'll get her out!"
"They already tried that," said Darryl, but there was no reasoning with Millie.
"I know! But I can do this! I'll be able to get her out, I know it!"
"You won't be able to," said Wayne. "You can't be upside down for that long; it's why Pocket sized Rudy couldn't do it."
"I'll do it for Louise!" Millie declared.
"They won't let you," Zeke told her. "They won't put anyone else down there." Millie's lip began to tremble again, and tears poured out of her eyes.
"I just wanna help her!" she sobbed, burying her head in her hands. "I wanna help my best best friend! She's been down there for too long!"
"I think they'll get her out tonight," said Regular sized Rudy, partly for his benefit, and partly to shut Millie up. She stopped crying and looked at him.
"Do you really think so?" she asked, her wet eyes wide, and her hands clasped over chest.
"Well, I hope so," he hesitated slightly before answering. "It can't take too much longer." That didn't seem to appease Millie, and she began crying again. Rudy ignored her and sat down on the grass, pulling his knees up, and staring at the well.
Cabell turned and approached the Belchers, sighing inwardly. He did not really want to tell them, but they had a right to know.
"Bob, Linda," he greeted, crouching beside them; Bob nodded in reply without taking his eyes off the well, and Linda didn't even acknowledge him. "Listen," he said slowly, "it might be best if you... start preparing for the worst." That got their attention; Bob and Linda immediately faced him, along with the children.
"What do you mean?" asked Bob.
"Well, Louise has been in there for three days, now," he began gently. "She's had no food and limited water during that time, not to mention the possibilities of organ damage, and it's very possible that.. they won't reach her in time." Bob did not know what happened next, for his head with filled with Cabell's voice repeatedly saying 'they won't reach her in time,' over and over again so that it was all he could hear. He could see Linda talking, or perhaps arguing with Cabell, but he didn't know what they were saying. He knew how much danger Louise was in, but now it was like he was learning about this for the first time. Now it seemed really real and scary.
"But they could get her out tomorrow, or even tonight!" Bob said, his eyes watering.
"I know, Bob, I just don't want you to get your hopes up."
"It doesn't matter! Louise is going to be fine!" said Linda, a desperate undertone to her voice. "They're going to reach her, and get her out, and she'll be fine!"
"Please, Linda, try to understand; the effects of dehydration after -"
"I don't wanna hear it!" Linda shrieked, causing everybody in the park to turn and stare at her. "Don't you think we're dealing with enough, without you putting this crap on our shoulders?! Are you out of your mind?! How can you think of telling us this?! Just – just get back over there, and do your job!" Linda had risen to her feet, and Bob had quickly followed suite. Cabell only nodded and walked away; it was harsh, but it had to be done. He just felt they deserved to know there was a chance that Louise could die, and the longer the girl remained trapped, the bigger the chance became.
"It's alright, honey," muttered Bob, taking his wife's hand, and trying to calm her down. Linda was hyperventilating with rage, glaring at Cabell.
"How could he say that to us?!" she raged, sitting down with Bob. "How could he be so insensitive?!"
"I know," said Bob quietly, rubbing her back. "I know. It's scary, but we need to keep positive; Louise is counting on us." Easier said than done, especially as Bob felt like collapsing and sobbing. "We need to be strong for her," he said, and Linda nodded.
Gene and Tina did not say a word, but they exchanged silent looks that said everything. Gene noticed Tina's expression, and slipped his hand into hers, giving it a comforting squeeze.
Louise had her head resting against the wall of the well, her eyes closed. She was so tired. She was hungry, thirsty, and cold. She had lost all feeling in her arms and legs some time ago, and whenever the drills would stop, her ears would ring.
"Don't worry, Louise," came that voice from above her. "It won't be long before you're out." She did not answer. There was nothing she could do. She was so frightened; she had never been so scared in her entire life. She could feel her strength ebbing away, and she was powerless to do anything about it. She didn't even have enough energy to wriggle her shoulders any more. Everything hurt. Well, the parts of her body that she could feel hurt; she couldn't feel her arms or legs, or her hands and feet. She used to be able to wiggle her toes, but now if she could, she couldn't feel it. She felt like the only part of her body she could feel and move was her head.
She felt so helpless. Louise opened her eyes slightly as a small tear rolled down her cheek. She was going to die, she knew it. She was going to die, and she didn't want to, and she didn't want to be alone.
"M – Mo – Mom... Dad?" she whispered, "want... Mom... and Dad." Charlie again beckoned the parents over, and Gene and Tina followed.
"She wants you," was all the officer said, shuffling back so that the family could sit around the well. Linda held up the headphones, and Bob picked up the microphone.
"Louise?" he called hesitantly. They couldn't hear anything. "Louise?"
"Daddy?" came her little voice, and Bob felt tears welling up.
"It's me," he said, after taking a deep breath. He didn't know what to say; he couldn't keep telling her that she was going to be freed very soon, because he didn't know for sure. "You're – you're gonna be okay," he told her, his voice catching.
"That's right, baby," Linda assured her. "You'll be fine."
"Hi, Mommy," came their daughter's breathy voice, and Linda placed her hand over her mouth, fighting back tears. Louise hadn't called her "mommy" since she was four.
"Hi, sweetie," she said. "I'm here; we're all here, we're waiting to see you."
"Me too," Louise sounded exhausted and slightly out of breath. She closed her eyes again. "I – I'm afraid," she whispered, finally admitting what she had been feeling ever since Friday. "Don't... don't wanna... die," she breathed.
"You're not gonna die," Linda choked, failing to keep the tears in. "You're going to be fine!"
"It's okay," said Bob, also crying, not knowing what else to say."It's okay, Louise. We're here for you; don't be scared. They're gonna get you out. You're not going to die, I promise." He backed away, sobbing. Gene and Tina looked at one another.
"Mom?" Gene's voice wobbled, leaning forward.
"She – she said she doesn't wanna die!" Linda buried her face in her hands, crying loudly. Many people were looking over at them, worried expressions on their faces, but the Belchers' did not know this. Gene brought a hand to his mouth, tears welling up in his eyes."
"Don't worry, Louise," Tina leaned toward the microphone. "They're getting really close now." She didn't know what else to say.
"How... long?"
"Not long!" Gene called, working to keep his voice even, "probably by the end of the day."
"Oh." It was horrible hearing Louise sound so exhausted and breathless. It was very scary.
"So, try not to worry, baby," Linda told her. "I know it's scary, but it'll all over soon."
"Yeah." Louise whispered. She paused for a long time. "Love you, Mommy." Linda gasped, unable to believe what she had just heard. That was probably the second time in her entire life that Louise had said she loved her. Linda knew that Louise did love her family; the little girl just never said it aloud.
"I love you too, baby," she said, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Love you... Gene... Tina," she said, and her siblings looked down into the well.
"We love you, Louise," said Gene.
"We both love you," Tina called.
"Love you... Daddy,"
"I love you, too. We all love you," Bob told her.
They remained by the well for a little while, but Louise didn't say anything else. They decided to move back and let her get some sleep. Before they did, Linda made sure that Louise was still breathing.
On their way back to the chairs, they noticed that Cynthia and Logan were standing at the front of the barriers. Logan looked incredibly annoyed, but Cynthia was wearing a look of pure fury.
"What do they want?" muttered Gene, and Tina shrugged.
"What are you doing here?" said Linda, as the family stood together near their chairs. She wiped her face, and managed to glare at Cynthia.
"My son is being harassed at school because of this," Cynthia snapped, gesturing to the well. "And so am I; people are insulting us; they've been calling me a terrible mother!"
"...So?" Bob looked confused.
"So, my son is being bullied, and we keep getting insulted!"
"That's not our fault," Bob told her, leaving Cynthia momentarily silenced.
"Well, people are only doing this because they think it's Logan's fault! We've said time and time again that it was an accident, but they're not listening! They won't leave us alone!"
"Again, not our fault," said Bob. Cynthia opened her mouth, but he cut her off. "We didn't tell anyone that it was you. We didn't name names; you're the ones who went on TV and admitted it."
Cynthia was taken aback, not knowing what to say. Bob was really not in the mood to deal with them, or anything else. He had just heard his youngest child say that she was afraid she was going to die. What parent wants to hear that? He couldn't deal with that; he wasn't able to help her, and it made him want to throw up.
"Maybe you shouldn't have raised your son to be such a horrible, little bully!" Linda snapped, naturally extremely stressed out. "Just get out of here," she threw them both a look of disgust. "I don't care where you go, just get away from here."
"You know, you're not as high and mighty as you like to think," said Cynthia. "Your daughter is a crazy little brat! She's not innocent in this, you know! You know that she antagonises my boy!"
"So what?!" Bob's voice rose an octave. "I know she's not perfect; she's not an angel. She can be cheeky, she doesn't always listen to me; sometimes she makes me wanna tear my hair out! But she doesn't deserve this!" Now it was his turn to gesture to the well, and he turned to Logan, "how could you be so cruel? Don't you care at all? Don't you care that any injuries she has are because of you? Do you know what the doctor told us? He said she could have a back injury! She may need a wheelchair! Because of you, she could be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. He's told us to start preparing for the worst!" He took a few deep breaths and tried to compose himself. "You had no right putting your hands on my daughter, and I swear to God, if you touch her again, I will tear your head off your shoulders. Now, get out of here."
Once again, Cynthia was momentarily silenced. She looked around at all of the police officers, and the firemen, the drillers, and so she grabbed Logan and briskly walked away, with her son jerking himself out of her grip.
It was now 8pm. Louise had been in the well for 74 hours, and so, despite wanting and needing to stay, Bob and Linda decided to head home, so that Gene and Tina could get some sleep. If he was honest, the whole Cynthia incident had stressed him out, even more so than he was, and so Bob had wanted to get away and try to calm down.
Dinner for them was a silent affair, and afterwards, instead of going to bed, they sat on the sofa. The television wasn't on, but none of them cared.
"You kids need to get to bed," said Linda, staring straight ahead, and her voice monotonous. "You have school tomorrow."
"Can we stay here for a while?" asked Tina, and Linda responded by placing her arm around her shoulder, and Bob did the same to Gene.
The four of them remained silent, unable to speak, and they sat there for hours, until Gene and Tina fell asleep where they were, leaning against their parents.
"Bobby?" Linda whispered, breaking the silence.
"Yeah?" her husband whispered back.
"I - I'm scared," she revealed, turning to face Bob. "I'm scared Louise is going to die."
"I'm scared, too," Bob admitted. "And I just don't know what to do. I don't know what to do any more."
"I just wish I knew if she's okay."
"So do I. Hey, maybe they'll get even better drills and go faster?"
"Hopefully. She's been down there for three days now," Linda blinked rapidly. "I don't know how long it's going to be, or what she's gonna look like when they get her, or if..." she trailed off.
"I mean, I know I keep saying everything will be fine, but I sometimes don't think it will be," said Bob, his voice laced with guilt. "I don't wanna worry the kids, but like you said, Louise has been in the well for three days. I'm not sure what's gonna happen," he blinked back tears.
"So, you think Louise is going to die?" came a little voice from behind Bob, making him jump slightly.
"Gene! I thought you were asleep."
"I woke up. Dad, I thought you said Louise will be okay."
"I'm sure she will be," said his father, trying to sound convincing. "There's nothing to worry about."
"You just said you don't think it'll be fine and that you're scared Louise will die!" said Gene, a little louder than he intended to, causing Tina to wake up. "We deserve to know what's going on!" the boy whispered fervently. Bob and Linda exchanged glances.
"What's going on?" muttered Tina, and Linda hugged her tightly.
"Okay," Bob sighed heavily. "The truth is that Louise could die down there," he admitted. "We don't know how long it will be before the drillers can reach her, and if they don't hurry, it... could be too late."
"So.. what's going to happen if it is too late?" asked Gene.
"I don't know," admitted Bob. "They, uh, they won't leave her down there, though; they'll still bring her up."
"So, then what?"
"Then I guess we just do our best to carry on." Gene nodded before asking his final question.
"What do we do until then?"
"Until then, until they get her out, all we can do is wait."
"I don't want Louise to die," Gene's voice quivered, his eyes welling up with tears. Bob hugged him tightly. What could he say? He couldn't promise that she wouldn't, and he couldn't promise that she would be okay.
"I don't want her to, either," he gasped, feeling Linda's hand on his back.
"She can't die!" Now Gene was sobbing, his shaking form pressed into his father.
"Mom, they're not gonna let Louise die, are they?" asked Tina, looking up at her mother, and clutching her tight.
"They're – they're gonna do everything that can to reach her," Linda couldn't stop the tears from falling down her face. She buried her face in her hands, and Bob placed one arm around her.
Linda put her arm around Tina, and the four of them hugged tightly, waiting for the tears to stop flowing.
~ X ~
Done! What did you think? I really thought we had to get away from the park, and explore some different locations.