Lost and Found "Ashley! Ashley!

" I thought I heard someone call, but the cry was drowned out in the chorus of thousands of ringing voices, making it so faint it barely reached my ears. I stopped in my tracks and spun around instantly, scanning the area. Did the voice belong to who I thought it did or was it merely a trick of my mind set on hopeful wishes? There I stood, alone, straining as I hard as I could to make out the owner of the voice. In circling me were thousands of people, some so close and capable of aiding me, and others so distant. All of whom were enjoying themselves quite thoroughly, unaware of that deep terror of knowing one is alone and without his or her loved ones. Where my family was I did not know at this point, but quite possibly that voice was that of my mom. Oh, how I hoped it was. I stood on my tip-toes to see if the extra height would enable me to see her, but it did not. All I could see was a stone wall that continued infinitely to my right, with occasional stairways that led to an upper level, and a giant ocean of salty blue laying to my left, with its giant hands reaching out to the people on shore and then returning back to its cerulean home. By these were not the objects of my search. I wasn't lost for I knew where I was, but I had misplaced my family. Perhaps that was the worst thing about the situation: without those you care for. The day had started out well. My mom, twin sister, Michelle, and I had gone to the beach. Michelle and I had played in the crystal waters, splashing one another, and built a mound of sand, which we called a sand castle. We had collected seashells with our mom and had eaten a nice picnic lunch. It had been joyous up until we had to leave when my mom had announced, "It's time to go." There hadn't been much protest on the thought of leaving. After all, my sister and I could make sport of anything, whether it be hide-and-seek in the store or just playing with our toys at home. However, neither my sister or I had wanted to return home in our swimming suits, which were all itchy from the sand that had enveloped them all day. After much complaining Mom finally gave in and agreed to let us change. "All right," she had said, her voice maternally strict. "I'll give you your clothes. Go straight to the restrooms to change. Down that way. Follow that wall until you get to the bathrooms." She had pointed to the left, where a gray wall continued on for a long while, with stairs that led to the upper floor every one hundred feet or so. Mom continued to speak, but at this point I was no longer listening. I was much too relieved and glad to be rid of these itchy clothes. Soon I was handed my clothes and went on walking in the direction Mom had told be to go. Along the wall I walked, occasionally looking back to spot my sister, who should had been following close behind, but she was not within my range of vision. Perhaps I was so far ahead of her I could no longer see her? I decided I must have been and didn't give much more thought to it. When I had arrived at my destination I quickly changed into the clothes I had been carrying. Then I waited for Michelle, but she never exited from a stall or arrived for that matter. She must had gotten here after me and finished before me, I concluded. Then she must have gone back to where mom was, where we had set up for our beach day. I then walked back there, however I found no sign of Michelle or even the place we had been all day. Mom was no where to be seen either. At that point my heart rate had increased dramatically. Where were they? Did I lose thempossibly forever? This must not be where we had been earlier, I had told myself in order to calm my thoughts and continued to walk. So there I was, frantically searching for a possibly imaginary voice. Even if it was not real the hope of it had lifted my spirit's a bit. I continued to search, my eyes taking in every person's features as to not overlook my mom in the sea of people. I did not see her however. I supposed it really was just my imagination. Instantly my hopes faded away and

I stood there like a grounded stone. Maybe I truly would never find Mom or Michelle. Maybe I'd be stranded on this beach foreverall alone. My heart beat increased to the point that it would surely cause my heart to burst, and my breathing became sharp and quick. I was never going to find them. It had all ready been so long since I last saw them. But then I heard it again, the calling of my name, this time clearer and louder, with urgency, "Ashley! Ashley!" It sounded as if someone would yell if they had been successful in some matter. The voice was coming from my right. I swiftly turned to look in that direction. My eyes were greeted by the all too familiar stone wall and they shifted to the stairs that lead up a level. There on top of the stairs was my mom! She was weighted with all our possessions we had brought with us: bags, beach buckets, an ice chest, and the beach chair she had been seating in earlier. How she was managing to wield all that was beyond me. She tried her best to wave for me to come. My heart filled with such happiness as I dashed up the stairs to her. I had found her! She was all right! "Mom!" I shouted joyfully when I reached her, but neither a happy nor relieved reply I did get. As soon as I reached her I noticed that her eyes were filled with worry and the first words she spoke to me were not, "I'm so glad I've found you!" or even the slightly frightful, "Where have you been?" but instead a much more terrifying thought, that brought all my fears back to me. "Where's Michelle?" she asked in a rough voice. It was only then that I realized Michelle was not with her. I quickly looked about to see if she was not just hidden behind Mom's enormous amount of luggage. However by fears were confirmed; she was not there. "I don't know," I answered shakily. I'm sure my eyes were wide. All this time I was sure she had gone back to our mom and assumed they would be together. Now I realized I had terribly assumed wrong. "I thought she was with you," I added just as uneasily. Now Mom's eyes had become wide, and worry increased in their depths. "Are you sure she's not in the bathroom?" She asked desperately. "Yes." I hated to say so, but she had not been there when I had been. With that answer Mom put all the stuff she was struggling to carry down besides me. She pointed at me, saying, "Stay right here with our stuff. Don't go anywhere!" Her voice and eyes were threatening and I quickly nodded to obey because she scarred me so. "I'm going to see if she went back to where we were earlier." Then she ran down the stairs and onto the sandy beach with such speed I'd never saw her summon. I stayed rooted to the ground, my mind racing. What if Michelle was gone forever? What if I never saw her again? What would I do without my best friend? My mind dwelled in these thoughts for so long that I didn't even notice the time ticking away. Soon Mom had returned, but to my dismay without Michelle. No sooner had she arrived had she disappeared yet again, leaving me alone once more. However, she did leave me with the message, "I'm going over to the lifeguard tower to see if they can help find her." Her voice had been stern and rough, but I could still hear the deep fear and worry in the tone. "You stay here. She might she you!" Then she had left to seek the lifeguards' aid. My thoughts returned to the dreary ones of before. It had not when long when my mom returned with a young, fit man wearing a shirt indicating he to be a life guard.

"She looks just like her," Mom told him. That was one plus of being a twin; always had the profile of the other at hand. The man studied me and then wandered off to look for Michelle and inform the other life guards of the appearance of the missing little girl. Mom told me that he would radio all the other life guards and they would all be looking for Michelle. The idea of a search being conducted relieved me slightly, but I wouldn't be fully content until my sister was found. "I'm going to get the car," Mom then told me. This way we could get rid of our stuff that lay at my feet still and she could look for Michelle without worrying about another matter. Her voice was shaking. She then left me once again. My heart was pounding harder than ever at this point and I was paralyzed with fear. I didn't even notice the car pull up beside me and Mom pack our possessions safely into the trunk. She ushered me into the vehicle and told me to stay in it, since she could not find a parking space and had to park in the red zone. She told me, "Tell anyone who asks, 'My mom is looking for my lost sister,'" so that her car wouldn't get towed away as she once again with looking for Michelle without me. Everyone was looking for Michelle: the lifeguards, Mom, but not me; not her own sister. All I could do was sit in a car and hope she was all right. I couldn't help her at all! What if she had been kidnapped? What if I never saw her again? Tears threatened my eyes and I knew my face was red. I could see my mom a little distance away. She was conversing with the lifeguard, but I couldn't hear what they were saying or see their expressions for that matter. Time ticked by. A half an hour must had passed. Each second decreased my hopes even more. I looked at the beach shore. The sand covered with people, but I managed to catch a glimpse of something odd amongst them. A large jeep with no covering and two seats in the back instead of a trunk was zooming along in what appeared to be my direction. In the front seat was a young man and what was in the back seat made my spirits soar. Michelle was seating upright, her pony-tail flying behind her. She looked fine; she wasn't hurt at all! I quickly hopped out of the car, even though I had been told not to earlier, as Michelle and the lifeguard pulled up near my mom and the other lifeguard. Michelle looked like she had enjoyed her little ride. I positioned myself beside Mom. I was so happy she was all right that I was on the verge of tears. "Where were you!" Mom demanded from her. I noticed her face was flush from crying. She might have been a bit mad, but I knew she was also very glad to see Michelle. "An old lady told me to got that way," Michelle answered. She pointed down the opposite way she was suppose to go. She continued to tell us the story of what had happened as Mom thanked the lifeguards and we made our way home. In the end Michelle had really just been misinformed when she had asked for directions, because she had lost sight of me. We had all found one another in the end. It's times like these a person really realizes just how important family is. They are the closest individuals to that person, perhaps even his or her best friend. Losing them makes a person lose apart of him or herself. They have to be held onto with all a person's might. I know that I care about my Mom and sister more than anything else.