Little Angie, precious maid part 2

Little Angie, precious maid part 2

fiction
edward w pritchard

Day 4

My daughter Angela has been missing now for four days. I took a ten day leave from the Bank to continue to search for her.

I quit taking pills this morning. They are contributing to the panic I feel. Last night when I was talking to the two FBI agents about Angie's disappearance I was having delusional thoughts. Maybe from the pills, maybe from stress. I dreamed all night about Mentner's Spring.

Mentner's Spring is an old source of pure cold water. The pioneers who settled this area used the water for medicinal purposes. The Indians who were originally here said the waters of Mentner's spring cured what was called Melancholia. The water was sold commercially in the 1870's but later it was found to contain high levels of lithium. When my oldest son was a boy  him and his friends used to ride their bikes over to Mentner's and sneak into the Spring and pond and drink the water to get high .

This afternoon I spent four hours diving into the Spring and pond. I have terrible premonitions I will find Angela's limp body under the cold water. Two of the older Miller boys saw me and spent about an hour helping me. They rigged up a rope on two long boards and dragged the pond. They were very appropriate, solemn but resourceful in their work. There are a lot of good teenagers out here in our township. Their Mother is the branch manager of the bank over at Salem, Ohio. I called her and thanked her.

I slept on the floor in Angie's room again. My wife seems to be adapting a little. Tomorrow she goes back to work. I drank a lot of beer before bed. Hopefully it will help me sleep and stop some of the dreams.
end
part 2