And that was Melanie’s last memory until four years later.
She was sitting in that same swing, rocking herself to and fro and marveling at how easily she could touch the ground now. The back door opened, and Melanie looked up, hoping to see her father, but instead, her mother was the one who came out. At least, she thought it was her mother. She couldn’t actually remember what her mother looked like, but this woman…seemed like her mother.
The woman carried a trash bag over to one of the metal garbage cans and tossed it inside. As she turned back toward the house, she must have caught a glimpse of Melanie out of the corner of her eye. She did a double take. Stared for a moment. And then her hand flew to her heart.
“Melanie? Oh, my God…oh, my God…” She started running toward Melanie, but her legs gave out and she sank to her knees. She was screaming, crying, holding out her arms.
Melanie hesitated for just a split second, then she got off the swing and raced across the yard. Her mother grabbed her and squeezed her until she could hardly breathe.
“Oh, my baby,” her mother kept whispering over and over. “My baby, my baby!”
After a few moments, she held Melanie away from her so that she could look at her. She reached up to touch Melanie’s face, her hair. “You’re so tall! But it is you, isn’t it? Of course, it’s you.” Her gaze darkened as she glanced past Melanie. “But…how did you get here? Where have you been?”
Melanie didn’t know where she’d been or how she’d gotten back home. She didn’t know anything except that she wasn’t supposed to ask questions.
When she didn’t answer, her mother pulled her back into her arms and held on tightly. “It’s okay, baby. It doesn’t matter how you got here. Don’t even think about it. You’re home now and that’s all that matters.”
She led Melanie into the house, leaving her side only long enough to make a phone call and, a little while later, to answer the doorbell. A strange man came into the kitchen where Melanie sat eating a sandwich.
“Do you remember Dr. Collier, honey?” her mother asked anxiously. “He’s going to have a look at you, make sure you’re okay.”
The last thing Melanie wanted was to have a stranger poking and prodding her. But Dr. Collier was gentle and he didn’t do anything to upset her. Not too much, at least.
After he was finished, he motioned for Melanie’s mother to follow him out into the hallway. Melanie got up from the table and tiptoed across the room to listen at the door.
“Physically, she seems fine, but we need to take her to the hospital where she can have a thorough examination.”
“But you said she’s fine,” her mother protested.
“I said she seems to be fine. Janet, that child has been missing for four years. God only knows what she’s been through.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” her mother said softly. “Whoever had her has obviously taken good care of her. Her clothes are clean, and she looks healthy. I think someone saw her that day, a couple who couldn’t have a child of their own, perhaps, and they decided to take her. She was such a beautiful little girl, and always so beguiling. Remember how she was? Maybe their guilt finally got the better of them and they decided to bring her back to me.”
“If that’s the case, why can’t she remember them? Why can’t she answer even the simplest questions about her abductors?”
But it was as if her mother hadn’t heard him. “I’m sure they loved her very much.”
Dr. Collier didn’t say anything for a long moment, then in a low voice, “You have to call the police, you know.”
“The police—”
“Melanie was abducted. They’ll have to question her, find out what she knows about her kidnapper.”
“I don’t want to talk to the police.” Her mother started to cry again. “She’s come back to me. That’s all I care about.”
But the police did come later that day, and they talked to Melanie for a very long time. She couldn’t answer any of their questions. She couldn’t describe the men in the backyard that day. She didn’t know where they’d taken her, or what, if anything, they’d done to her. She didn’t know where she’d been for the past four years or how she’d finally gotten back home. She didn’t remember anything, not even her own face.
All she knew was that she wasn’t supposed to ask questions. Questions were forbidden.
It was late by the time the police finally left. Melanie’s mother led her back to her room and tucked her in bed. She sat on the edge, fussing with the covers as if she had to get them just right or Melanie wouldn’t be able to sleep.
“Mommy?”
Her mother put a hand to her mouth, as if overcome with emotion. Tears streamed down her face.
Melanie said contritely, “I’m sorry.”
“Oh, baby, you have nothing to be sorry about.”
“I’m sorry I made you cry.”
“These are happy tears. When you called me Mommy…it’s just been so long…I thought…” Her mother dried her eyes with the back of her hand. “It doesn’t matter what I thought. We’re together now, and that’s all that counts.”
She gathered Melanie into her arms and hugged her as if she would never let her go. When she finally did pull away, Melanie said softly, “Mommy, where’s Daddy?”
“Your daddy had to go away, honey.”
“Why?”
She bit her lip. “Because it made him too sad to stay here after you were gone.”
“Is he dead?” Melanie asked worriedly.
“No, he’s not dead. He just went somewhere far away from here.”
“Where?”
“Houston, I think. Do you know where that is?”
“Texas?”
“Yes, that’s right.” Her mother looked surprised that Melanie knew the answer.
“Why didn’t you go with him?” Melanie asked.
Her mother hesitated. “Because someone had to be here when you came back.”
Melanie thought about that. “Can he come home now?”
Her mother looked as if she was about to cry again. Melanie was suddenly sorry she’d asked about her father. “No, honey, he can’t come home. He’s…I don’t even know if he’s still in Houston. But wherever he is, I’m sure he’s fine.” She leaned down and kissed Melanie’s cheek. “Everything’s going to be okay, Melanie, I promise. I’ll take such good care of you from now on. When you wake up in the morning, I’ll fix you blueberry pancakes. That was always your favorite breakfast. Maybe later we’ll go to the zoo. Just the two of us.” Her voice broke as she smoothed her hand down Melanie’s hair. “Sleep now, my precious little girl, and when you wake up, it’ll be as if you never left.”
And her mother had tried very hard to make it so even when the police detective in charge of the case had implored her to seek professional help for Melanie. His advice had fallen on deaf ears.
“She’s not talking to a shrink,” her mother insisted. “I won’t put her through that.”
“Mrs. Stark, Melanie has been through a very traumatic experience. She’s blocked all memory of the time