A Rise on the Horizon

The thunderheads were rising higher and higher, sucking up all the warmth on the ground. The wind was rushing along the ground, making Samuel’s hair flip around and around. Mr. Hale was leading the wagon in the front, as he was the most experienced of the two. They were bound for Oregon, and after losing two of their members from Cholera, they were very discouraged.

“I can tell that there is a hail storm coming, if we don’t find help we won’t make it through.” Said Hale. He didn’t get a response, Samuel knew that he would be the one to find help. Mr. Hale had a bad injury from a bison and he would not make it if he is the one to leave.

“Check the map!” Hale called. Samuel hopped up into the wagon and looked for the map they had acquired in Independence.

It was not hard to find. They had one bag of meat left and 2 more pairs of clothes. The wagon was at a crawl now with one oxen. They had just passed the Kansas River and the trade post was only five miles north. However, the storm was racing toward them at a remarkable speed, far faster than Hale had ever experienced on his two times crossing the long trail.

“Do you want to stop, there’s a trading post north, about five miles!” Samuel called to Hale. “Only if you are going to be the one to find help!” Said Mr. Hale. Samuel crawled out of the wagon with the map in hand and went closer to Hale where they could talk to one another without having to scream. “And.” Hale continued. “We are low on food, clothes, and medicine, we can’t make it to Kearney with that. If we don’t find help by sundown, we aren’t going to make it.”

Samuel remembered the past week, his brother had gotten lost, now he didn’t want to lose someone else. The trail had already been very brutal for the two, Hale, the past week, had recommended that they turn back to Independence since they would never make it with two. This was a very big decision, if one got lost, they still might not be able to take the journey back, across the river, then miles and miles back to the city.

“I won’t make it if I go, your the only one who can get us back.” Hale explained again “Fine.” said Samuel quietly. “I’ll go.”

“Try and be back before the storm.” Hale called “You have my word.” They reassured each other and with that Hale sent him off in haste to reach the trading post before the storm.

There was no trail to the trading post. Samuel had to rely on the map for his guidance and quite possibly his life.

The tallest thunderhead was still maturing, but also racing south, where Samuel was. What scared Samuel the most was the fact that the map had pictured areas that he wasn’t seeing. “Probably outdated, I’m probably walking to nowhere because this map is outdated.” He said to himself.

The only things he found was abandoned campfires and he even saw a wagon that was run down, he took a step closer, then noticed many scorpions had made this their home, he immediately turned and walked away, continuing on his journey.

After around 15 minutes, something caught Samuel’s eye. A flash of thunder ran across the sky. A very large shelf cloud was peering at him from afar. He saw the sheets of rain pouring out from the clouds ahead of him. He knew the storm was already at the trading post, or what was said to be a trading post. Samuel took off running in the opposite direction.

He had about 3 miles to run, he was used to this after walking many miles but still it was very hard for him. Lighting danced across the sky and the storm slowed down slightly, just enough for him to return to camp and get in the wagon.

Although when he got in the wagon he couldn’t find any sign of Mr. Hale. “Hale!” pause. “Hale!” He got no response.

He hopped out of the wagon and searched. He was very frustrated when he saw a note near their campfire. It read “Went to find you. Storm sped up.” He also noticed that some footprints were in the ground, eastbound. “Why would he go east when I told him I was going north?” Samuel was now very confused. “Maybe he went to Independence. But still I wasn’t going there” Confused, Samuel hopped back in the wagon because the storm was getting very near.

As soon as he jumped back in the wagon the rain started pouring. The sky was getting darker and darker. Samuel had felt these types of storms before. He had lived in Illinois and he had gotten tired of harvesting corn each year. Every May, the storms would pound his farm house, lightning would dance and roll just as it does here. One afternoon the sky had gone completely black and the wind sounded like a roaring giant, destroying everything in its path, just as it sounds here.

Samuel, sat hunched in the wagon. He was very concerned that the wind would tip the wagon over, although all he could do now was to pray and hope that he would be safe.

The hail battered the wagon. He thought of all the repairs he would do, if he made it out alive. The wind howled just like it had that May afternoon. He took a peek out the window and saw that the hail, was in fact, very massive. The canopy above was starting to tear and take in water. Samuel had to move the heavy bag of food away to the side.

The wind picked up even more. The hail had gotten larger. He looked out in the distance and thought he had seen a giant rope extending from the cloud to the ground, he said he was just imagining things.

He sat through the heavy thunderstorm, soon something made him sit up again. It was a faint scream, calling his name. He turned around to see the westward path, he kept hearing the scream but it was blinded and drowned out by the hard rain and he could do nothing about it.

5 minutes past and the rain had went from extreme to moderate then to drizzle. Samuel got out of the wagon as fast as he could and looked around to find the prairie soaked and flattened. He checked once again for any signs of Hale but he found no trace.

He looked all around the wagon, minutes past and he looked farther and farther away. He checked every sagebrush, every blade of grass, when finally he found an artifact. He found Hale’s hat that he had worn the whole journey, the sad thing was that he found no Hale. Samuel feared that he had lost him like all the others, soon he might lose himself.

Samuel sat by their old campfire they had used last night, he sat there crying, sad that he had lost everything he had. He thought about the future, how he would have to return to Illinois.

He sat still, sulking. Just until he saw something in the distance. Lights were glowing to the west. “Lanterns.” He said aloud to himself. They were moving closer to him. A surge of joy spread through him. Soon, he was able to see them. It was a party of six military men from Fort Kearney. They had blue military coats on and were on horseback. He saw the leader of the men get off his horse and walk over to me.

“Are you lost?” The leader asked in a firm voice. “I lost the three members I had sir.” I said, trying to give my upmost respect. He nodded his head and gestured me to get up. He let me climb up on his horse and he got up afterword. “Y’all head east, I’m going back to the fort.” Said the leader. “Yes sir!” The 5 other soldiers went on their way and me and the leader went west.

“So, how’d y’all find me” Samuel asked nervously. “We were out on a hunt to find another abandoned wagon but we found you first.” Said the leader. And after that the two did not speak until they got to the fort, the leader was a very serious man.

They kept walking, mile after mile. Samuel was surprised to see that they had reached the fort in only about 5 hours. Samuel thought it would have been a five day journey.

At the fort he was treated well by a doctor named James, he healed all his wounds and even gave him some remedies and medicine.

Samuel was well and wanted to find Hale, he had told the leader when they got to the fort and he said he’ll send searchers out as soon as he could. Although, the days flew by and Hale still wasn’t found. Samuel was told to go back to Independence as soon as he could, but he was also told that if he wanted to find Hale, the searchers would bring him back to this fort. Samuel chose to stay.

Samuel had spent his days at the fort talking with the other men and exchanging tales of the trail ahead of them. Samuel did not have any spooky stories as his own experiences were all mainly sad and grave.

A week passed and Samuel, still looking toward the east, had gotten very disappointing, just until he saw a person that looked familiar. He waited and waited with a smile on his face. He finally saw Mr. Hale. Samuel wanted to leap for joy. “I promised I would come back.”