"He's gone? Your Dog is gone?"
"Yes Dad", She sobbed. "I left him in the car for just a minute while I ran into the store. When I came back, he was gone. I wasn't gone more than five minutes."
"You said there was a note left on the car?"
Mandy stifled a sob as she continued, "Yes, all it said was if I wanted to see Sargent again, I should bring three hundred dollars to a certain spot by 8 o clock tonight and there was a map attached showing where to go. It said go alone." She sobbed again. "Dad, I don't have three hundred dollars. I don't know what to do."
"Well, stay calm Mandy, I'll wire you the money right away and you should have it within an hour, at least by six o'clock. I wish I could get there to help you, but I am over 300 miles away."
"That's ok, Dad, the note did say I should go alone. It's too bad that my boy friend Todd and even my brother Steve had to leave town today."
"When you get on the road, give me a call on my cell phone and I'll ride with you that way. Your mother and I are not going to be home, so be sure you call my cell. Keep your doors locked, and maybe I'll call the police and let them know what's going on just in case."
"Ok Dad, Thanks. I feel better now. I'll call you back."
"Bye Darling, be careful."
At six o'clock Mandy left her house and made her way to the Western Union shop. Just as her father had said, the money was there. She stopped to fill up her tank and soon she was on her way. The map showed a road that went out of Huntersville, a small town just North of Charlotte. Mandy headed North on the interstate. Before long she was getting off the exit for Huntersville. She called her dad's number. He answered right away, like he'd been waiting for her call.
"Where are you now?" He asked.
"I just got off the interstate a little while ago and I'm on the road it shows on this map. Dad, I just realized that today is my birthday!
"Well, well, so it is. Some way to spend your birthday."
"It sure is, I remember telling mom last week how tired I was of the same old things for my birthday!"
"Oh, really, I bet you'll never say that again!" He laughed.
"Oh oh!" Mandy said under her breath.
"What's wrong?" Her dad asked.
"I must have taken a wrong turn after the river, Dad. The pavement stopped a while ago and there's nowhere to turn around."
"I guess you have no choice but to keep going. Maybe it will come out somewhere."
"Dad, I'm getting scared. It's getting dark too."
"Don't worry, Mandy, you'll be fine. You must be getting close now. What do you see?"
"The road is getting narrower. There's a fence along one side which wasn't there before and overhanging trees along the right side that the road. It looks like some other vehicles have been down here recently. I'll bet that it's the one who took my dog. You know Dad, if it wasn't getting so dark this would be a very pretty place."
"You're starting to break up some."
"Oh no, Dad, that's all I need is to lose our connection! Dad, are you still there?"
Nothing.......
"Well, I'm really on my own now. I'm gonna be fine, I'm gonna be fine." She repeated over and over to herself.
Mandy drove in silence for another five or six minutes although they seemed like hours.
"The road seems to be getting wider and there's a fence on both sides. I even believe I see a light ahead. Oh my!"
The road had ended. She looked around. There was just one light on the porch of a rundown old cabin. As she shut the engine off, she wondered what to do. There was room to turn around here and go back the way she'd come and go home. "No! By golly, she wanted her dog back! She waited. There was all kinds of woods noises starting now that it was getting dark, but no sound from the cabin.
"Well, I guess it's up to me." she thought. "I sure wish my brother had left his baseball bat in the car. I'd have some kind of weapon at least."
She picked up her purse with the money in it and cautiously opened the car door. Slowly she made her way to the cabin. Suddenly a dog started barking. She jumped, but then realized the bark sounded like Sargent's!
"Sargent, is that you?" She called as she made her way across the porch to the door. The door opened and a dark shape made a lung for her. It was Sargent! He almost knocked her down he was so glad to see her.
Lights came on everywhere, and she was conscious of people singing.
"Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Mandy, Happy birthday to you!"
After she caught her breath, Mandy looked around. There was her mom and dad, boyfriend Todd, brother Steve and several other friends with big smiles on their faces. The room was decorated for a birthday with crepe paper streamers and on one table was a monster birthday cake.
Mandy's mother came to her and took her hand.
"Honey, you told me you were tired of the same old thing for your birthday. Is this different enough?"
"Oh Mom, you all scared me half to death!" Mandy hugged her mom and dad. "But, what about this money?"
"Happy Birthday Mandy!" They all chimed in unison.