Free The Wild Kid by Harry Mazer Page A

anonymous caller reported seeing him there. Sammy was barefoot and hungry, and when asked how he’d gotten as high as he had on the challenging cliffs below Highway 104, he said, “I climbed and climbed. I climbed really good.”
    Pete Nelligan, the Preserve Manager, was doubtful. “Nobody but an experienced rock climber could get that high on the sheer rock face,” he said. He speculated that the boy may have stumbled over the cliff in the dark and miraculously grabbed on to a tree and saved himself. For hours, cars passed above him, unaware that a child was trapped there.
    When asked how long he was on the side of the cliff, Sammy consulted his wristwatch. “A long time,” he said. “My butt was sore, and I was real hungry.”
    The boy was taken first to Chase Memorial Hospital, where he was checked by doctors and declared to be fit, although he’d lost some weight, according to his mother, who was with him when he was released.
    Sammy, who has Down’s syndrome, disappeared without a trace two weeks ago on a rainy Sunday afternoon. He went out to play and rode away on his bike. When he didn’t return home by supper time, his mother called the police, and a search ensued, which quickly became statewide. Four days ago, the governor himself participated in the search. “I have a boy, too,” he said.
    Sammy’s bike was found three days after his disappearance. Jim Terrance, who lives on Ten Mile Road, was found riding it. He says he found it in a ditch. Sammy says he left the bike, unlocked, in front of Marsden’s Market on South Bay Road when he went in to buy a candy bar. “Stupid me. I forgot to use my special chain that Carl got me.”
    He says he chased after the thief and, in a series of escalating incidents, ended up lost in the forest preserve. That area of Middleburg State Forest Preserve is characterized by deep gorges and rocky cliffs and is of great interest to geologists and local rock-climbing enthusiasts.
    Sammy says he found another boy in the forest, a boy living wild, who took care of him. According to Sammy, they lived in a cave and survived on rabbits and berries. When asked who the boy was, he refused to give his name, but rescuers state that he repeatedly asked for “Kevin.” Despite an extensive search by the authorities, no trace of a “wild boy” was found. Dr. Ruth Hurt, a psychologist, explained that children of Sammy’s mental abilities often fantasize and create a safe “world” of the imagination for themselves when they are in difficult situations. “It’s a terrific survival mechanism,” she said.
    Carl Torres, a friend of the family who participated in the search for Sammy for each of the thirteen days, said, “I don’t know about this fantasy stuff, but this is one heck of a brave kid. He went through an ordeal and, look at him, he’s got more heart than ten people.”
    But questions persist. How could a child with no wilderness skills and who has Down’s syndrome have been able to survive two weeks of exposure? Although he lost some weight, the doctors pronounced him fit. Perhaps Sammy’s mother, who knows him better than anyone else, was correct when she said about her son, “He’s more resourceful and smarter than people think.”
    Sammy agreed. “I can do things,” he said.

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    â€œWhat I can’t forgive him for is not letting you go that first day,” Sammy’s mother said. They were all sitting around the table, his mom and Carl and Bethan, just the way Sammy had imagined, but no Kevin. He kept looking out, thinking maybe Kevin would be coming.
    â€œThey were thirteen totally horrible days.” His mom’s eyes got all teary. “I thought I’d lost you. Do you remember that I hit you?
    â€œMom, you don’t have to talk about that,” Bethan said.
    â€œYes, I do. I’m so sorry. Do you still feel bad,