by Marilyn Knowles Wilke

Created on: July 06, 2009

They found him in a car that overturned just across the old bridge. Even though the town was small, there were people passing through all the time. He was a toddler with barely a scratch, but his parents were thrown over the cliff and into the raging river. Their bodies had never been recovered. The town had no choice but to put this little John Doe in the small orphanage that was just on the outskirts of their little city. No one recognized the car or the baby.

Joseph was what they finally called him. He was adopted right away by a nice couple that lived on a small farm just outside the town. He had a good home, but worked very hard from the time he was able to pick up a tool. He loved his parents very much, but always felt like something was missing. He wanted to find out who his real parents were. It was something that had haunted him since they told him the truth about his adoption when he was seven.

Joseph was determined to find his family. Surely, there were others who might be related to him. As he walked down the main street of town, he always felt drawn to this one particular house. He loved nature and it was filled with it. There was a beautiful big porch on the front and he would see a man and woman sitting there everyday. They would wave when he passed. He would see them feeding the squirrels or birds, watching them play up and down their large trees.

As he passed by at the end of the week, he stopped for a moment. He had one thing that flashed through his head when he was sleeping. It was the names Steve and Alice. He had never told anyone, but those names came to mind every single day. Today, the house drew him even more. He felt as if he had been here before. As he opened the white gate, he stepped back in anticipation. He stepped back out of the yard for a moment, but was noticed by the couple working in their garden on the side of the house.

"I am sorry," He waved his hand. "I just wanted to see your beautiful trees."

"Well, come on in, son," The man smiled, widely. "You are welcome to see anything you would like."

He was a kind man with a gentle smile. The lady smiled toward him, as well. They offered him a glass of ice tea and he accepted. As they sat on the porch, they began to talk about nature. It was always his favorite subject and never bored him. He learned from their conversation that they had a son who lived in Africa. They spoke of him with pride. He was some kind of scientist and lived in Africa.

Joseph noticed that the

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>