Free The Hawaiian Quilt by Jean; Wanda E.; Brunstetter Brunstetter

only be one way.”
    “It will be less, and if you need money for your ticket, we’ll see what we can do.”
    “Danki, Mom. Tell Dad and the rest of the family I said hello. I’ll call you again soon.”
    Mandy remained in the kitchen a few minutes after she hung up the phone, thinking things through. It took her a year to save enough money for this trip to Hawaii. Could her parents afford to pay for her ticket home?

Chapter 9
    The Big Island
    I ’m glad we brought our sweaters along, because the breeze blowing here isn’t helping things.” Sadie pulled hers closer and fiddled with one of the buttons. “It’s much cooler up here by the Kīlauea Volcano than in Hilo, where our ship docked.”
    “The cooler temperature feels kind of good.” Barbara pointed to the lava tube up ahead. “I’m glad we were able to come. I mean, how often does a person get to see an erupting volcano, much less be so close to one?” She spoke excitedly.
    “You’re right.” Shuffling her feet, Sadie pressed her lips slightly together. “It’s too bad Ellen and Mandy couldn’t be with us today. They’re missing out on this experience, not to mention the unusual scenery. There is no way we can adequately tell them about this, except for the pictures and postcards we’ll bring home.” She paused. “Have you tried calling Mandy again?”
    “I’ve called three times again this morning. All I ever get is her voice mail.” Barbara frowned. “I can’t figure out why she doesn’t answer her cell phone. It’s usually stuck to her like glue.”
    “Maybe the battery is dead. Or perhaps she has it muted or in vibration mode.” Sadie stepped around a fallen branch on the path. “But with all the messages you’ve left, she really should have called you back by now.”
    “I agree, and my fear that something bad happened to them is increasing by the minute. I’ve been praying for their safety.”
    Sadie nodded. “I’ve been praying for them, too, so let’s try not to worry. Since there’s nothing we can do, we ought to make the most of our day.”
    As they walked up the trail, Barbara’s cell phone rang. “Maybe it’s Mandy.” She reached into her tote bag and withdrew the phone. “Hello. Oh hi, Mom. How are things going? You did?” Barbara turned to face Sadie and gave her a thumbs-up.
    “What’s going on?” Sadie asked as she stepped aside from the path.
    “I’ll tell you as soon as I hang up.”
    While Barbara continued talking to her mother in Pennsylvania Dutch, Sadie studied one of the brochures their tour guide gave them during the bus ride. According to the brochure, two active volcanoes were on the Big Island—Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. Kīlauea was the more accessible of the two, which was why the tour guide had brought them here.
    Since Sadie and Barbara had stopped walking while Barbara talked to her mother, the others in their tour had gone ahead and were probably making their way through the lava tube already. Sadie was eager to go, but equally anxious to hear what Mrs. Hilty had to say, so she waited patiently.
    Barbara looked at her expectantly. “Sadie, would you write down this number for me?”
    “Sure.” Sadie took a notebook and pen from her purse and wrote down the number Barbara told her.
    After a bit more conversation, Barbara finally clicked off the phone. “I’m so glad my mamm called. The good news is she heard from Mandy’s mother. The bad news is Mandy called her to say she and Ellen missed the boat and are stranded on Kauai.”
    “Which is exactly what we suspected.” Sadie clasped her tote tightly. “How in the world did they miss the boat? Why weren’t they paying attention so they could get back to the ship on time?” She shifted her weight to the other foot.
    “Apparently, Mandy lost her cell phone and, after spending too much time looking for it, when they arrived at the port where our ship had been docked, it had already left.” Barbara rubbed the side of her face, where