The gentle rumbling of distant thunder intruded on Emma’s prayer. She opened her eyes and looked to the heavens to see the dark clouds seemed so low she could almost touch them. She knew she had to get back to the wagons. They had been through thunderstorms before and she dreaded going through yet another. There still wasn’t a drop of rain yet, but she knew it could come down like buckets at any moment.

She rose to her feet and started back. As the ravine turned to the right the wind whistled through, the loudness of it unsettling Emma. She walked faster, wishing she had not wandered so far. She felt an uneasiness that increased and felt like her skin was crawling.

Lightning flashed and thunder clapped violently above her. She let out a startled scream and started to run, only to find her legs felt numb, forcing her to stop and stand there in the wind. She looked around and noticed the dark air around her had taken on a greenish haze. The strange air seemed to buzz in her ears till it hurt and made her nauseous. Emma’s legs felt like they were about to buckle and her arms tingled as if asleep. There was nothing for her to grab to remain standing but couldn’t move to sit down on the ground either. The buzzing made her head spin and as her vision blurred Emma felt like she was beginning to fly. The last thing she heard before everything went black was an incredible cracking sound that seemed to penetrate right through her.



The blackness was total and complete and regaining consciousness was slow and deliberate. Emma first felt the ground underneath her where she lay. Next she could feel her feet and hands, finally now with no tingling. The last thing to return was her vision, blurred at first but then focusing in on the blue sky above her. It wasn’t till she was able to sit up that she realized the storm had passed and the sun was now shining.

mma sat up, surprised and grateful that her arms and legs worked. Except for a bit of lingering dizziness she was fine! Had the Lord delivered her from a lightening strike? She had seen a cow that had been struck by lightening when she was a young girl. How could I have survived if not for the hand of God!

As Emma stood, she looked at her shadow on the ground. She quickly looked up into the sky and saw the sun was high and strong. It was no longer evening, but mid day! Dear Lord, how can that be? She had a sudden yearning to be back with her parents and Benjamin and the train. Something was dreadfully wrong! She walked briskly down the ravine, glad to hear the familiar sound of the river.

When she climbed out of the riverbed, she was startled by what she saw out in the flat open land…or what she didn’t see. There were no wagons stretched along the field. There were no cattle or horses. There was no dust hanging over the prairie. As Emma walked closer to where she was sure the wagons should be she felt a lump in her throat and a wave of panic run through her body when she noticed there were no deep wagon ruts in the dusty earth. Where is the trail? She spun around, checking where the river was and which direction it was flowing. She looked back on Independence Rock, just the top of it visible in the distance. The rocky hills to the west were also where they should be. She wasn’t lost, she convinced herself.

She suddenly felt very alone and vulnerable as she gazed out over the empty prairie. She kept looking in all directions till she accepted the futility of it. There were a few small hills up ahead that might offer a better vantage point so Emma headed that way. As she climbed the small hill she tried to remain calm. The train would not leave without her, she was certain. But the trail…where’s the trail? At the top there was still no sign of wagon ruts. Emma looked for distant dust rising from the prairie floor but there was none.

There was movement that Emma noticed out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see someone walking along the top of a slight ridge in the distance. The figure was clearly a man but that was all she could tell. He was surely not from their company. When he stopped walking Emma realized he was looking right at her. Fear welled up inside her and she fought the impulse to run. He didn’t appear to be a savage. Perhaps he was with another company. Her instinct told her he looked unfamiliar enough that she should avoid him. She quickly walked down the hill, back toward the river. She needed to put space between her and the man. Her heart was pounding from exertion and fear.

Heavenly Father, please help me!”