Birdie on the Rhine by Heidi Williamson

Author:Heidi Williamson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Children & Teens
Publisher: FlyAway Ink Creative
Published: 2023-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter twenty-One

They climbed straight uphill for several minutes, relief coming only when Louisa cut off onto an overgrown path that hopscotched along the top of the bluff. There were no trees to speak of and, as dark clouds gathered in the distance, Birdie felt exposed on the rock.

Her legs ached from all the climbing she’d done over the past two days, and the pain reminded her of Sam’s observation about the vineyards the night before. There were field hands who climbed every day during the harvest, bracing themselves on the angled earth as they gathered the grapes. Their legs had to be made of steel, and hers decidedly were not.

They marched in a single file along the path, and Birdie wondered if they’d make it to the abandoned village before the time came to return to the ferry.

Raina must have had the same thought. “How much further?”

Thunder rumbled in reply.

Sophia eyed the sky nervously. “Is it supposed to rain?”

“Why are you asking me?” Raina whipped around and threw her arms wide.

“I, uh, wasn’t.” Sophia stopped short, then understanding dawned on her face. “Oh, I get it. Because your name is Raina. People must always ask you about the weather.”

“You think?”

Kayla pushed past them. “Which way?”

Louisa pointed to a section of the path that was wild with weeds. It crested before cutting steeply to the water.

Raina raised her eyebrows at Sophia, then followed Kayla, whose loose blond hair rippled in the strengthening wind and flowed out behind her like a flag. She was the only one in shorts, and angry red scratches marked where the brambles had raked her calves.

Another crack of thunder, much closer this time, made the rocky earth beneath their feet vibrate.

“Not good.” Sam tapped Louisa’s shoulder. “Where’s this village?”

She turned to answer as the air snapped again and the dark clouds opened. Sheets of rain pelted from the sky and turned the ground slick, soaking them through in an instant.

“This way!” Louisa yelled over the deluge as she ran to the crest. She’d barely reached it when the wet earth gave way beneath her sneakers. She slid several feet down a muddy rock face, grasping for anything that might slow her descent. When she finally caught herself, she stood on shaking legs and looked up.

Rich, who had slid down after her, barely had time to slow before he plowed into her. He grabbed her by the waist and held tight, keeping them both from tumbling over a rocky ledge.

“Again?” Ryan raised his eyebrows.

Up on the crest, Birdie was not amused. She tried to push the thought away, but her mind kept returning to another day, to another wicked thunderstorm, when her dad and Jonah had still been alive. She’d been young, six or seven, and they’d been at the lake. She hadn’t cared about the storm, and when the rest of the family dashed back to the safety of the house, she’d stayed at the water’s edge. She’d been mesmerized by the ripple of the wind on the water, billowing millions of tiny waves away from the shoreline rather than sending them in.

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