My small town was pretty uneventful and quiet. Just like most small towns this was the type of place where everywhere you went you would bump into someone familiar. So, anything of even the slightest interest would have everyone absolutely buzzing with conversation.
Word got out pretty quickly that a distraught family had awoken to realize their daughter was missing. We had a sense of camaraderie in our small community. Looking out for each other was the norm. Besides, what else do we have if not each other?
I had known this family for years. Not extremely well but enough to have become decently close with them.
Ashley was your stereotypical little girl. She loved her dolls and Barbie’s and would spent countless hours hosting tea parties with them.
Missing poster signs sprang up all over town. There wasn’t a place you could go that you wouldn’t see her picture plastered up on a poster.
Police investigations always turned up with nothing. I, along with everyone, started to become increasingly frustrated that there were no leads. No signs of break in, no signs of a struggle, just nothing. Ashley had seemingly just vanished into thin air and the parents became more and more disheartened with each passing day. All they wanted was their precious little girl back.
Becoming worried that the police would soon shut the case; Ashley’s parents decided it was time to take matters into their own hands. If their daughter was out there they were going to find her no matter the cost.
As stated this was a tight knit community and everyone was devastated for the family. People were often visiting the grieving family to offer condolences and support in anyway they could help. Who would do this to an innocent little girl? Our hearts hurt right there with them.
I had suggested to Ashley’s parents it would be a good idea to gather as many of the town’s people they could and go on our own search. Even though police had done their own sweep we assumed they had to be overlooking something. People don’t just vanish from their beds at night never to be seen again.
Now, with a decently sized group of people, we started to begin our search. Scrounging every single area of the town turned up nothing. I started to question if we should venture out farther from the town before someone asked “has anyone checked in the woods?” It was a valid question because that particular area seemed to have been the only place at this point that we hadn’t throughly searched.
By this time nightfall would be coming soon. I knew that we wouldn’t be prepared as is. Everyone rushed to their homes to gather flashlights and supplies to aid us with the search.
After everyone had gathered what they needed, it was time to begin our search. These woods were very dense and dark even during the day so finding Ashley would prove to be difficult if she was even in there to begin with. I also feared for the worst if we did discover her.
After a long hike and search I started to feel like Ashley would never be found.
Then, from the back of the group someone stated, “hey, there’s something on the ground over here!” Everyone rushed over to where the man was pointing his light.
Looking down, I became heartbroken when I discovered it was one of Ashley’s favorite dolls. My heartbreak turned to horror when I noticed another doll laying beside it holding hands. A doll that was unfamiliar to her parents that they knew she didn’t have. One that resembled the little girl identically.
Ashley was finally found.