THE LOST CHILDThe Lost Child is one of several booklets that we have published. Each booklet has as a goal to present at lest one major nature teaching. We offer it here in a condensed form. This story is about tracking. Join us as Running Deer puts her tracking skills to work when she races the sun to bring a child to safety in
The Lost Child.
“My name is Jasmine,” the woman said. “Please help me find my daughter! She is lost in the woods and the man said you could help…and oh, please hurry!” “Um, me? But I…I’m not sure I can help. Let’s start at the beginning. Who sent you here?” “The man, the old man in the village. He said you are a tracker and could follow her tracks and find her.” Running Deer thought about this. She wondered if Jasmine could it be speaking of the elder from the “Naming Ceremony”. Was she ready for this? Was she a good enough tracker to find the lost child? Running Deer wasn’t sure, but if the elder thought so, she knew that she had to try. Running Deer invited Jasmine in and they sat down at the table. Moon Bird brought her a soothing hot tea. Running Deer was becoming very concerned. She felt like jumping up and starting the search at once. However, Running Deer knew that she should take her time and find out everything she could about the lost child. This is what she learned: The girl’s name is Shawna and she is 10 years old. Her shoe size is 3 and she is wearing an old pair of tennis shoes, pink shorts, and a white t-shirt. She has a blue water bottle. When Jasmine handed Running Deer a picture of Shawna, she was almost ready to begin her search. Running Deer had a plan. “Moon Bird,” she said, “that trail in the park leads all the way to the base of Thunder Mountain. Then it shoots through Thunder Mountain Gap. I don’t think she went that far, but we can’t take any chances. If you bushwhack from here, you can get behind the mountain, find the trail, and then head back toward the park. I’ll go cross-country and find the trail where it hits the creek. I have a strong feeling that she followed the creek upstream. Move quickly. We don’t want her to be out there for another night.” Moon Bird loaded a first aid kit and a water bottle in his pack. “I’m on my way,” he said. Before leaving he handed Running Deer a small package. “You may need these.” Running Deer also put a first aid kit and a water bottle in her pack. Then she loaded the small package that Moon Bird had given her and set out at a brisk pace. Running Deer said a silent thank you to all of her teachers and to all of the animals that had left tracks for her to follow. For a few minutes she stopped walking and asked the Creator for guidance in her search. After a long hike, Running Deer reached the trail. Then she turned north and continued walking, looking for the creek crossing. When she found it, Running Deer looked up at the running water. Her feeling that Shawna had followed the creek was stronger than before. After a long hike, Running Deer finally found what she was looking for. Part way up the creek, near the edge of the water, she found a small plant that was crushed. Some one or some thing had stepped on that plant. Was it Shawna? Running Deer looked for another clue. She found it close to the first one. It was about the same distance that a little girl would step. This time Running Deer was sure. What she found was part of a track made by the edge of a small tennis shoe. Running Deer knew that the track was a day old and that it was going up stream. She moved quickly up the creek, looking for more tracks as she went. She found a few and more crushed plants and some broken twigs. They were all a day old. The sun was low in the western sky and Running Deer was getting worried. Something blue caught her eye as she rounded a bend in the creek. Near a large fallen tree was a water bottle. It looked like this was the spot where Shawna had spent the night. There was a large pile of leaves by the tree that she may have used for a blanket. 
The tracks continued, and now they were fresher. Running Deer was getting closer. She could see in the tracks that Shawna was very tired and moving slowly. The sun dipped below the trees. Running Deer moved faster and faster. Then she saw wet footsteps headed toward a thick grove of Rhododendrons. She heard the rustle of leaves and the sobbing of a little girl. Running Deer knew that lost children sometimes are afraid of people who come to help them. She was very careful when she spoke. “Hi Shawna. My name is Running Deer. I’m here to take you back to your mama. You don’t have to come out if you don’t want to. I’m going to sit by the creek and rest. I’ll leave my water bottle here for you and some chocolate chip cookies.” It took a while for Shawna to come out and get a drink of water. When she was eating a cookie she said, “Will you really take me back to my mama?” “I sure will,” said Running Deer Shawna ran over to Running Deer and fell into her arms crying softly. “I hope she is not mad at me,” she said. “She is not mad at all,” said Running Deer. “She misses you though, and would like you to come back. Are you ready to go?” 
“Yes,” said Shawna. “Will you hold my hand?” “Sure,” replied Running Deer. “Let’s go.” They headed toward the park as the woods became darker. At the spot where the creek crossed the trail, they found Moon Bird looking at their tracks. He looked up and smiled when he saw Shawna walking next to Running Deer. “Does anybody have any chocolate chip cookies?” he asked. They both giggled at him and kept on walking. |
Running Deer looked up at him and smiled. “Good thinking,” she said. “See you on the trail.”