"Who Will Take Me Home?"

The trip westward was filled with many dangers; not only with the Indians but also with the climbing of hills and the crossing of rivers. As with many pioneers, Bob Phillips found his trouble while camping in a valley. This wasn't an ordinary valley. This valley seemed peaceful and was just the place to hole up for the night. But Bob was soon to find out that this valley was the mysterious "valley of the lost."

Bob had heard of such a place, but this couldn't be it. This valley was calm and restful; not wild with the sounds of a child who was lost -- maybe even dead.

Everything seemed restful until about 9:30 that night. Bob had tied his horse on its rope to graze and had finished washing his dishes in the cool stream when out of what seemed nowhere a child's scream echoed through the valley, a scream which was full of hate, full of loneliness, and full of sadness and death.

Instead of being like most people who ran from the valley, Bob looked for this child. But she was not to be found. He searched until morning, and then he did find three graves -- one of a woman named Sara, a man named Tom and the last a child. But this stone had no name.

All at once, he heard a child crying, and then he saw a small girl of about five years old. But Bob could see through this child -- could she be dead? She must be dead!

Yet, she cried, she walked, she asked, "Will you take me home?"

At first Bob was shocked, but then he asked, "Where is your daddy and mommy, dear?"

The little girl pointed to Bob and said, "Please help me find my mommy." Then she added, "I must go now." And before Bob could say another word, she was gone -- she had just disappeared.

Bob saddled his horse, and started to leave when the little girl reappeared and said, "Please don't leave me. Help me find my mommy."

Bob asked, "What is your mommy's name?"

"Here name is Sara," answered the small child.

Bob remembered that the name on the tombstone had said Sara. Could her mother be the same Sara, he thought? He also remembered then that a woman, her husband and small child were heading for a new home when a rock slide had covered their wagon killing all three of them. The rest of the traveling party had buried all of them but had only finished carving the names of the parents when the cries at night began. They became afraid and had left without finishing the child's stone.

With tears in her eyes she answered, "Alice Louise Barker. My daddy is Thomas Barker, and my mommy is Sara Barker. But I can't find them, and I have looked for so long."

Bob told the little girl to follow him, and he walked to the graves. He pointed to each grave and then began to tell the little child about heaven. He spoke, "Far away from here there is a place that is called heaven. This is a very special place where mommies and daddies meet their little children. When the rocks fell on your mommy and daddy and you, they decided to go to this place called heaven. You were supposed to go too. But in the confusion, I think you were accidentally separated from them. Your mommy and daddy are waiting for you in heaven. Do you want to go to them" If you do, all that you do is say this prayer with me. "Dear God, let me come home with Mommy and Daddy. Amen."

The small child repeated this prayer, and a bright light shone on her grave. She smiled, and her face lit up and as she slowly disappeared, Bob heard her say, "Thank you for taking me home. Mommy is waiting for me." Then she was gone.

That night when Bob rested from the day's experiences, the cries of the child were not heard. She had gone home.