Gone
by Grey girl

In memory of Buck's Babe, a dear Gothnik friend who is greatly missed. 
Rest peacefully, dear heart.
***************
   It had seemed like a good idea at the time, a two-week vacation, 
exploring the southern states with a well-trusted friend.
   Calli and Amanda had driven along secondary highways, stopping 
here and there at places along the way that looked interesting. Neither 
one of them had ever been this far south before. Having had no specific 
destination in mind, the town of Trinity, South Carolina, had seemed 
as good a place as any for a break from the road. Perhaps it was the 
charming buildings or the lush, green woods that had attracted them, 
and they were both feeling a little weary.
   "Miss, can I help you?"  the deputy across the counter broke into 
Calli's thoughts.
   "I hope so. I need to report a missing person."
   "A missing person?  Um...do I know you?"
   "No," Calli shook her head. "Amanda--that's my friend, Amanda 
Bates--and I were just driving through your town and thought we'd 
stop for a few days. We discovered a place in the the woods near 
the river, and we decided to camp there. Anyway, last night around 
12:30, we heard a noise down by the dock. I told Amanda to go 
back to sleep, but she must have wandered off to check it out. She 
never returned!"
   "Maybe she hiked back to town," the deputy suggested.
   "I've looked everywhere I could think she might be, and we had 
no accommodations in town. Please, you've got to help me find her! 
I'm really worried."
   From behind her, Sheriff Buck pushed open the front door. His 
eyes caught sight of the small, blonde woman who was talking to 
Ben.
   "Good morning, ma'am," Lucas crossed to where she stood and 
extended his hand. "I don't believe we've met. Sheriff Lucas Buck."
   "Hello," she shook his hand. "Calli Warren."
   "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Warren. What seems to be the 
problem?"
   Ben repeated the story Calli had just told him.
   Lucas looked at Calli, "What were you ladies doing, camping 
alone in the woods?"
   "Being stupid," she answered candidly. "It doesn't seem like such a 
smart idea, now."
   "And you think your friend would've walked off on her own in the 
night, out in the middle of nowhere?" Buck asked.
   "It doesn't sound like Amanda, but she must have--she's gone!"
   Lucas could hear the first traces of panic beginning to well up in 
her voice. He placed a hand on her arm.
   "We'll find her," he said. "Show me where you were."
***************
   "You're a long way from home, Miss Warren," Lucas stated as 
they walked through the woods toward the place where the women 
had slept.
   "Call me Calli, please," she said. "I know. We are. Too much time 
and not enough intelligence to know what to do with it."
   "Oh, I don't know. There's nothing wrong with a little scenic-route 
adventure, and Trinity does have its attractions."
   Calli stopped walking and pointed, "That's where we slept."
   The remains of a campfire that had been carefully extinguished and 
two empty sleeping bags were positioned in a small clearing between 
leafy trees.
   "And you both heard a noise," Lucas said.
   "That's right. It sounded to me like it was coming from the dock by 
the river. I figured it was just a raccoon or some other creature."
   Buck could walk every inch of Trinity with his eyes closed. He lead 
the way down to the river and stopped along its bank.
   "There's no trace of her anywhere," Calli told him.
   Lucas scanned the trees and the ground around them. He walked 
out onto the old, graying planks of the dock that some anonymous 
fisherman had built years ago. Buck stood still and silent for a brief 
moment. Then, kneeling down near the dock's edge, he leaned over 
and reached his hand down and under the dock. Calli walked to 
where he knelt as he pulled a faded denim jacket up out of the water.
   "That's Amanda's," she said grimly. "What's happened to her?"
   The overwhelming feeling of fear had returned, and her eyes filled 
with tears of dread as she looked at Buck. He stood and took her 
arm in a firm grip.
   "Take it easy. You won't help her by panicking," he told her.
   She breathed in, struggling to gain control of the emotions that 
threatened to overtake her.
   "What do we do now?" she asked.
   "I'll get some men out here to take a good look around."
***************
   "Eat," Lucas commanded.
   "I can't," Calli replied as she pushed the fishstick across her plate 
once more. "I'm too worried."
   "They haven't found any sign of Miss Bates in the river. They'll try 
again in the morning, but I don't think they're going to find her."
   "She can't have disappeared into thin air!" she said.
   "Probably not," Lucas agreed. "Starving yourself isn't going to 
help find your friend."
   Calli gave him a hopeless look.
   "Where are you planning to spend the night?" he asked her.
   "I don't know. I haven't thought about it."
   "You'd better," he suggested.
   Calli shrugged, "I'll find a room for the night."
   "Not around here, not this time of year. Trinity is overrun with 
tourists during July."
   "I'll sleep in the park," she said listlessly. "I don't care."
   "Now Calli, come on," Lucas hooked a finger under her chin 
and brought her eyes to his. "That isn't going to help, either."
   "Maybe if I went back to the river tonight--"
   "No. I don't think so, not while we're still investigating the scene. 
Besides, I've got two men there tonight."
   "Oh," she said. "I don't think I ever thanked you, did I, Sheriff?"
   "Just doing my job," he replied. "And it's Lucas."
   "Well, thanks anyway. I'm just so worried about Amanda."
   "I know," he took her hand. "Tell you what. I have a spare room 
all made up. You can stay there tonight."
   "I don't think--"
   "No, I insist. There's plenty of room in that big, old house for 
two people. It's settled; you're staying with me."
***************
   Although he had been careful not to show it, Buck was becoming 
concerned about Amanda Bates' disappearance. The last search 
efforts before the sun had gone down had turned up nothing. Buck 
didn't like people disappearing in his town without his knowledge. 
He wandered through the moonlit garden trying to get a mental fix 
on what had happened to the woman, but it was useless. Perhaps 
she *had* disappeared into thin air.
   His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of soft footsteps.
   "Can't sleep?" Buck asked without turning to face her.
   "No," Calli answered. "Lucas, I'm worried."
   Worried enough to drop the formalities and call him Lucas, he 
noticed. He turned to face her.
   "I know you are," he said as he pulled her into his arms and 
hugged her tightly.
   "I want to go back to the river," she said against his chest.
   He looked down at her doubtfully.
   "I need to, Lucas. I can't explain it. I just have a feeling-- that's 
where I need to be."
   Like a torch in the darkness, the answer flashed through his 
brain. He knew now, and so must she.
   "Come on," he said, taking her by the hand.
***************
   The moon cast a soft reflection on the still mirror of the river. 
Calli stood on the dock looking out across the water. Lucas, 
standing close behind her, could feel the gray hopelessness that 
was beginning to envelope her.
   Out of the darkness, his eyes registered a faint, unearthly 
shimmering on the top of the water.
   "Merlyn," he called out in a soft voice.
   Callie looked back over her shoulder at the sheriff, her face 
clouded with confusion. From behind her, the sheriff wrapped 
an arm around her waist.
   "Merlyn," Lucas repeated. "Help her. She needs to know."
   This time Calli, too, saw the glimmer of dancing lights above the 
water. At first she thought they were fireflies, but then the lights 
began to take on color, and from them the shape of a pretty, 
dark-haired woman in a flowing, white dress appeared and hung 
transfixed just above the river's surface.
   Merlyn turned her sad, compassionate eyes on the woman 
standing silently on the dock.
   "Calli," she spoke with the softness of the breeze along the river.
   Merlyn looked at Lucas, thinking with wry surprise that this 
was probably the only act he'd ever committed out of pure, true 
kindness--the desire to comfort the unspoken grief of another.
   "Calli," Merlyn said again. "I have her now. She's all right."
   As Calli gazed at the vaporous form of the lovely, young 
woman, another began to emerge, seemingly rising up out of 
the black water below, and slowly swirling into the form of her 
dear, lost friend.
   "Amanda," Calli breathed.
   "Don't be sad," Merlyn's voice spoke in a gentle hush. "I'll lead 
her over. I'll take her to a place of eternal peace and love. She is 
not gone. Only keep her in your heart, in your thoughts, and she 
will be with you--always."
   Calli watched, entranced, as her friend looked at her, and with 
a gentle smile of farewell began to rise up, with Merlyn at her side.
   The breeze blew back the words, "I love you, dear heart," as 
their shapes swirled and disappeared. Gone.
    Calli stared at the place in the sky where she had watched her 
friend disappear, until Lucas turned her away from the void above 
the water and held her gently as she wept silent tears on his chest.

END