The Barn to Freedom

In the distance she could see an old barn, the broad side shadowed in the falling darkness. The door stood open, welcoming, though to anyone else, it probably would have looked ominous and rickety. Bethany checked once again to make sure that she wasn’t being followed through the deep Pennsylvania forest, then ran across the meadow toward the haven of the cavernous depths and comforting darkness.

Officer Jonathan Hopkins cruised slowly through the suburbs looking for his daughter. She was a bad seed, and he knew that without sound discipline and rigid schedules, a kid like her would end up costing him a fortune, and his reputation. He was raising the brat that probably wasn’t even his, knowing the woman who had been his wife. Sarah Hopkins had been a thorn in his side, and when she fell down the stairs, he was thrilled to have himself free of her, finally. A divorce wasn’t an option in his line of work. He had to appear the perfect patriarch of the perfect family. The accident that had caused Sarah to slip into a coma, and then contracting the infection that caused her organ failure, had saved him from the disaster of a marriage he had found himself trapped in. He didn’t believe his wife was faithful, he didn’t believe his daughter was actually his, and he knew her only chance of success in life was for him to knock the little tease into submission. At fifteen, he saw the way boys looked at her, and he saw the way she dressed in form fitting outfits and brushed her blonde hair out of her eyes like a seductive little tramp. Just like her mother. The headlights bounced off the neat row houses as the cruiser slid into the growing darkness. He knew she wouldn’t go far; she wasn’t smart enough to survive without him. He crept on.

Almost twenty miles north, a frightened girl peered from the depths of a barn loft. The abandoned building was the safest place she had been since her mother had been killed by her father. She had seen him putting something into the IV fluids, and the next day her mom had taken a turn for the worse. In her already fragile state, the infection had been more than her body could handle, and she had died three days later. No one suspected that the infection had been intentionally administered by the strong, doting police officer that sat vigilantly by her bed. The reasons further from what the doctors had believed than they could have imagined. Now Bethany was sure her father was going to do the same to her. Since her mother had passed away, her father had taken more and more of an interest in what she was going to do to his precious reputation. It was all he ever talked about, becoming chief and maybe even mayor someday. The scandal of having a daughter that might be less than perfect was more than he could handle, and he made sure she knew his expectations. Nightly torture was normal, as her father had developed a strict regimen that was essentially to break her spirit and exhaust her body. Anything he thought was below standard earned her a burst from his taser or a shot of pepper spray to the face. It also wasn’t unusual for him to handcuff her to her bed at night, and he had placed alarms on the outside of her bedroom door and sealed her window. Bethany knew she was a prisoner in her own home, and no one would believe her if she told them that the most respected officer in town was abusing his daughter. Especially since he told elaborate stories of her rebelling after her mothers’ death; something Bethany had never done, even if she had had the opportunity.

Down the lane, unaware that a fugitive was hiding in his barn, Luke Fisher was heading out into the dusk to chase after the wayward sheepdog that was currently the bane of his existence. He knew the usual places the dog liked to explore when he was loose, and the first place to check would be the old barn at the back of the original property his Daed had inherited. Since then, the Fisher family had expanded their land and moved the farm nearer the main road. This back forty acres would now belong to Luke when he found a woman to marry and share it with. So far, his possessions consisted solely of the land, and of the old barn. They had talked about tearing it down and using the materials to make a chicken coop for his sister Rebeccas flock, but so far, there just hadn’t been time to fit in the project. As Luke neared the barn, he could hear the dog barking like his life depended on it. There must be a cat in the barn. Luke hurried across the meadow, knowing if he didn’t rescue the critter soon, there wouldn’t be one to rescue.

Bethany crouched in the rickety loft looking down at the ferocious barking beast at the bottom of the ladder. She was very glad that the dog didn’t seem to be able to climb it, but her greatest concern was that it would draw attention to her hiding spot, and she would be discovered and sent back to her father. She crawled back into the corner as far as she could go, and tried to will the dog away, but suddenly she heard shouting from the barnyard. She peered from the loft and saw a boy, about her age, wearing Amish hat and trousers, yelling at the dog to quit its barking. Almost like magic, the dog quieted down and rolled over, offering its belly to the boy. The boy gave a quick scratch to the dogs’ stomach before turning to the ladder himself. “I better see what’s up there that’s got you all worked up” he said as he started up to see if a raccoon had gotten stuck in to loft again. Bethany glanced around, and seeing nowhere to hide, steeled herself for the meeting.

When Luke poked his head over the floor of the loft, he was cautious, knowing that a startled wild animal might come at his eyes with its claws out. He was fully prepared for anything…or so he thought. When his eyes caught the sight of a small trembling blonde lady in his loft, he was shocked out of words. After a moment he realized there had to be a reason for her to be there and remembered his manners. “Guder daag, Vilkommen” he said to the terrified girl, who looked at him puzzled. He realized she was wearing “Englisher” clothes, and probably had no idea what he had said. “Um, Hello, welcome” he said in English, this time. She stopped trembling and looked at him with curiosity. “Hello” she replied.

Luke led Bethany across the large yard of the main house and up the steps to the back porch. He had convinced her they could get to the house and find help from his parents without crossing any main roads. She was terrified of her father finding her, though he would probably assume she had tried to go south, toward her mother’s family. She had purposely gone north, pushing herself to put as many miles between her and her hometown as she could. Now she was far from home, hungry and tired. When she followed the boy into the warm, sweet smelling kitchen she was suddenly completely overcome with hunger and exhaustion. It had all been too much, and with no warning, she burst into tears.

Ellen Fisher was surprised to see her son lead a pale, thin girl into the kitchen, but was spurred into action when the girl began to sob uncontrollably. “There there, dear” she said, automatically lapsing into English. “Come in and tell me what has hurt your heart so.” Bethany poured everything out to the kind woman, leaving out nothing. Ellen sat in silence, hearing the horrors the youngster relayed to her and feeling the pain in her own heart. After taking a few moments to register what she had been told, she sent the youngsters to the kitchen, instructing her oldest daughter, Leah, to make thick ham sandwiches and cool glasses of milk for Luke and his new friend. In the meantime, she went to find her Mann to decide what to do next.

After making sure the girl was safely tucked into a roll away bed, sleeping soundly, the family gathered to decide what was best. The Amish community rarely involved law enforcement in their business, but this was a circumstance beyond the usual day to day community goings on. It was decided that they would have to contact the local authorities, but they agreed they had to be cautious as the situation with the girls’ father being an officer himself presented problems. Bethany had informed them that her father had told her repeatedly no one would believe her because he was a police officer. When the local official arrived at the farm, Bethany was still sound asleep. The officer listened to Ellen recant the situation as Bethany had told her, and had Luke tell him exactly how he had found her and what she had told him as well. After thinking it over, Officer Owens made a call, and it was decided that while the case was being investigated, Bethany would stay right there with the Fisher family.

When she woke the next morning, Bethany felt refreshed, but still scared. The officer might believe her father and she would be sent back to him. That would mean the things she had been through would nothing compared to what she would face when she was left alone with him again. Bethany told Luke that she had to have a plan ready, and although Luke didn’t want to risk his obedience to Gott, he wanted to help his friend, so he helped her pack a bag of things she could grab from a secret spot near the creek if she had to run away fast. The dried beef, potatoes, flour and sugar would last her a few days if she had to go, and they added a piece of oiled cloth she could use to make a small shelter. It was more than she had left home with, and she felt a little better about everything.

Ellen watched from the small kitchen window as her son helped the poor girl tote the bag down toward the creek. They thought they were being secretive, but Ellen knew what they were doing, and her heart broke for the girl all over again. The fear in the child was more than she had ever had to experience in her blessed life, and she wanted nothing more than to wrap the child in the protection of the community she had grown up in. She whispered a prayer that all things would work out in favor of the youngster and determined that she would do everything in her power to make sure of it. She wiped a tear from her cheek and started making the noon meal.

The family had many chores to do, and Bethany chipped in to help as best she could. She learned much over the next few days, including how to wear the borrowed clothes she was given, and how to make the delicious fresh bread they enjoyed with each meal. Within a week, no one would have known that Bethany wasn’t Amish herself. She grew to believe that even if her father drove down the lane, he wouldn’t recognize her. The bruises on her wrists were fading and the twitches from the taser shocks were almost gone. She felt free and alive for the first time since even before her mother’s murder. It seemed too good to be true, and when she saw a Pennsylvania state patrol car coming down the lane followed by a sleek black SUV, her heart sank. She ran into the woods without looking back.

The patrolman climbed from his car with a mound of paperwork and the lady in the SUV followed. They met the Amish couple at the porch to the wide white farmhouse and shook hands. Officer Owens introduced Ms. Valerie Ashley to the family as a caseworker from the Department of Child Welfare. “Where is Bethany?” Officer Owens asked, “we have some news that will come as quite a shock.” No one could find her, and Ellen remembered the sack of supplies near the creek. “I think I know where to look” she said. “Why don’t you tell me the news, and I will try to relay it to her?” After a few minutes of discussion with the officer, then a few more minutes of private discussion with her family, Ellen served molasses cookies and fresh lemonade to her guests, told them she would be back as soon as she could, and set off for the old barn in the back meadow, hoping she was right about her hunch.

At the barn, Bethany hugged the fuzzy sheepdog close as tears cascaded down her face. She knew this is on of the first places they would look for her, but she couldn’t run away and worry the family that had made her feel so loved and welcomed. She only wanted a few minutes alone with them before they loaded her into the car, to tell them how much she appreciated the time she had spent with them, feeling like part of a real family. She heard sturdy work boots ascending the ladder and braced herself for the worst.

Ellen topped the ladder and saw the girl leaning against the far rafters looking out over the rolling green hills that made up the family farm. She stood quietly for a moment, just looking at the beautiful child in profile, silhouetted against the shadows of evening beginning to fall. It was Bethany that spoke first. “This is exactly the time of day it was when I first came to this barn looking for safety.” She looked back at Ellen “I found so much more than just safety” she said with a small crack in her voice “I found what it was like to have a real home” Ellen let the tears fall freely down her face as she went to the girl and held her tightly. “Bethy,” she said, using the pet name the family had taken to calling her, “I have to tell you something that may leave you not knowing how to feel, but just remember that our family has come to care for you dearly.” Bethany looked up at Ellen, expecting her to say it was time to go get in the car to be taken back to her father, but the next words from Ellens mouth left her speechless. “Your father is in prison waiting to be tried for the murder of your mother and many counts of abusing you. The evidence was found after your confession of what you saw. The medical records, once investigated, show that your mother was pushed, she didn’t fall down the basement stairs, and once she was unconscious, her head was hit again, forcefully, off the concrete basement floor. Then while she was in the hospital recovering, she was injected with her own excrement into her bloodstream through her IV, causing a septic infection that killed her. It was all done at your fathers’ hand, and the hospital cameras caught the act. If you hadn’t come forward, no one would have ever known to look. You found justice for your mother, brave girl.”

Bethany couldn’t find words to speak, she gazed over the meadow beyond the old barn, watching as the fireflies began to light the night. After some time, she asked the words that were weighing heavily on her. “What happens to me now?” “Well,” answered Ellen, “that is actually up to you. Your mother’s family has been contacted and they said you could come to them, but they don’t have much room. You would be welcome in their home, but it is a very small retirement home, you wouldn’t have a room of your own, and the neighborhood is mostly older people. Your other option is to stay here with us.” Ellen added softly. Bethany looked up at her in wonder “Do you mean that? Do you really want me?” she gasped. “Ja” Ellen answered the girl, “we want you if you’ll have us as your family.” Bethany nodded her head, unable to speak. Ellen smiled. “Gut, dotter, let’s go home and tell Ms. Ashley you won’t be needing a ride.” They clasped hands and headed for the ladder and out into a more beautiful world than Bethany had ever known.