BEYOND THE PALE © Mike Perschon, 2003
Prologue: The Missing Children
    “Two missing children.” Emma Weber said, her gruff countenance showing a surprising amount of emotion. “That’s it. We might as well close the camp now.”
    “Not necessarily.” Rick Smith told her. He was the new forestry warden for Cypress Hills Provincial Park, and had been instrumental in helping Pineview Bible Camp get approval for its lease within the park. “There’s no evidence that the children’s disappearance was due to negligence on your part.”
    The two of them were talking in the mess hall at Pineview Summer Camp, along with the head counselor, Matt Caleba. Two children, one boy, one girl, had gone missing sometime between the prior evening after all the campers had gone to sleep and the morning wake up. No one had seen or heard anything. The Park checkpoint was not in operation after ten o’clock, and the park wardens hadn’t seen any unregistered vehicles within park boundaries. A search had begun that morning, but when no sign of the children was found by noon, the parks’ people decided it was time to call in the police.
    “No, no. . .” Emma looked up at Rick and sighed. She turned to Matt Caleba, the head counselor. “You’re certain they’re missing?”
    Matt nodded his head. “They’ve been gone since this morning. . .well, it could have been the middle of the night for all we know.”
    “Aren’t we supposed to wait twenty four hours before reporting something like this to the police?” Emma asked.
    “We should have found them today.” Rick told her. “Unless they’ve been abducted, we would have found them. They couldn’t have gotten past park boundaries in the time since their earliest possible disappearance unless they were taken in a vehicle.” Rick thought of the day’s events; calling in all possible staff to assist in the search had only been the beginning. The helicopter had been sent up, and continued sweeping over the park all day. By late morning, many of the people who spent their summers in cabins surrounding the lake were out looking as well. Even the general store had closed so that the staff would be freed up to help look. The Saskatchewan side of Cypress Hills Provincial Park wasn’t all that big. One could drive from end to end in little more than an hour. Yet they had found nothing. No tracks, no clues, not anything.
    “I just felt that if they were abducted by car, then the police should be involved immediately. Its their jurisdiction after all.”
    “But why those two?” Emma wondered. “Are either from split homes?”
    Matt shook his head. “No. Both come from what I figured to be perfectly stable homes.” He chewed his bottom lip for a moment, then added; “We should let her brother know.”
    “Yes.” Emma replied. “How old is he?”
    “Eleven. . . he’s in my cabin.” Matt said.
    Rick raised a hand. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but have the families been contacted?”
    “I called both children’s parents. Nigel’s mother is on her way; I couldn’t get a hold of Lil’s.”
    “The father mentioned something about a vacation when he dropped Lil and her brother off.” Matt interjected.
    “Great.” Emma said. “Did you contact the police in Maple Creek?” she asked Rick.
    “They’re on their way.”
    Emma sat down on one of the benches and folded her hands. “I guess we’d best tell the brother,” she said finally.

    The boy in question was tall for his age. He was also remarkably bright. At eleven, he noticed things many other people didn’t; tending to be reserved, he often observed a great deal from a distance. At eleven, the boy had already seen quite a lot more than people twice his age would have. It made him jaded, withdrawn.
    When Matt came to get him from playing soccer with the other boys in the cabin, the boy already knew what they would be telling him. Lilith was missing. Probably that other boy too, Nigel. Lil was his little sister, and he was supposed to watch out for her, but. . .
     The man who had taken Lil and Nigel wore a long black coat. In fact, all of his clothing was black, but maybe it had just been that it was night and it was hard to see exactly what color the man was wearing. The man in black had told the boy he couldn’t come where Lil and Nigel were going. It wasn’t yet time. Maybe someday, but not now. So the boy merely observed Lil walk off into the forest with the Nigel and the man who wore so much black. In the morning, the boy hoped he had dreamt it all, until at breakfast both Lil and Nigel were missing. Then came Emma’s question of all the campers. Had anyone seen Lil or Nigel since they went to bed? Had anyone seen Lil or Nigel this morning? Had they talked to anyone of going someplace? She had stressed how important it was that whoever knew the answers to these things come forward.
The boy had wanted to, but was frightened. Frightened of what they would think of him for not being able to save her...for not being able to stop the man who had taken Lil; for standing by and just watching. He knew his father would be very angry. He knew there would be a very long period of punishment. So the boy remained silent. Perhaps, he considered, this is a test. If he kept it all a secret, perhaps the man would return and take him as well.
    That was another reason the boy wouldn’t tell anyone about where Lil went. The man had promised that it was a wonderful place, and once they went there, Lil and Nigel would never have to go back home again. That’s why the boy had wanted to go. To be free of father. . . to be free of the nightmares.
    He knew all these things, but told no one. Not Emma, not Matt, not the forest ranger. When the RCMP came, he told them nothing. By the time his father arrived, the lie was complete. It would eat at his heart for the next eighteen years like a cancer.
NEXT: Chapter One - Leaps of Faith