Found

By Riley Church

The summer rain had just stopped falling, and Evangeline decided it was a great time to finish her gardening.

She climbed out of her bed, disturbing her cat Artemis and said in her thick Southern accent “sorry, Hun, but I’ve gotta get this done. If it starts pourin' again, it’ll ruin the stuff in the garden.”

She put out her incense, put on her gardening apron, and placed her phone in her pocket. Shemade her way through the kitchen and picked up her basket on her way out the back door to her vibrantgarden.

Her garden was full of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and blossoming flowers that she loved to tend to. Living so far away from town made it difficult for her to get groceries, so a few years ago she decided to live off the land as much as possible. She had a deep connection to nature and enjoyed spending many hours wandering about the woods and appreciating the beauty of the nature surrounding her home.

Evangeline made her way to the first section of her garden, green beans, and began to search the vines for the ripest ones to pick to later put in jars for storage.

“These beans seem to be doin' well this year” she said to herself, “I’ll have to take a few to the farmers market to try an sell 'em.”

Just as she finished her sentence, she was startled by a loud clanging of metal behind her. She jumped around to see Artemis licking her paw in a nonchalant way next to a fallen water can.

“Artemis!” she yelled, “you done scared the hell outta me, damn cat.” Evangeline turned back to her plants and continued tossing beans into the basket.

After picking the last of the ripe beans she moved on to her tall corn stalks. As she began reaching up for the first ear of corn, she saw a child running through her backyard. It was a little boy with brown hair, pale skin, and freckles who couldn’t have been more than six years old.

Evangeline stepped around her plants and approached the boy with caution saying “where did you come from, Honey?” She searched for any sign of a parent, but saw no one else.

The little boy looked at her scared and said in a small voice, “I need help. I'm lost. I don't know where to go.”

She looked at him with pity and said, “I'll help you, Darlin’. Let's get you inside and I’ll make some calls.” She took his hand and led him inside.

Evangeline brought the boy into the kitchen and offered him a seat at her small table in the corner of the room. She made her way over to the refrigerator, pulled out a pitcher of sweet tea, and filled two glasses with the sugary liquid. She placed one cup in front of the child and kept the other for herself as she sat down across from him at the table.

“So, what’s your name, Sweetie?” she asked. The little boy stayed quiet, looking around nervously.

“I'm Evangeline,” she said, giving him a warm smile.

The little boy looked at her with large brown eyes and said, “M-my name is Jacob.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Jacob. Do you know your address or a phone number for your parents?” she asked. The little boy shook his head.

Evangeline rose from her chair and said, “I’m gonna call someone to come and help us. Okay, Honey? You sit right there and I’ll be right back.”

She walked out onto her porch and dialed 9-1-1. The phone rang three times before a woman answered the phone and said “9-1-1 what is your emergency?”

“It’s not exactly an emergency,” she said, “but a little boy just came runnin through my backyard outta nowhere. He says he’s lost but I don’t even know how the poor thang got all the way out here.”

“Is the boy hurt?” the dispatcher asked.

“I reckon he’s all right,” she replied. “He’s a bit dirty and scared but other than that he looks fine.”

“Okay ma’am, I’m gonna send out an officer to pick up the child, and then we will try to get him home.

What is your address?” the lady asked.

Evangeline told the woman her address, hung up the phone, and walked back inside to wait with Jacob. When she went into her kitchen, however, he was not where she had left him.

“Jacob,” she yelled, “where’d ya go honey?” She walked into her living room and found him sitting on the floor watching a cartoon.

3-D Pokemon Card

by Mason Hamer

“I like this one,” he said. She looked at the TV and saw he was watching Tom and Jerry reruns. She sat down in her chair and watched with him while they waited for the officer to show up.

Evangeline could hear a car coming up her dirt driveway. She stood up and peered out of her window to see a police car pulling in. She looked at Jacob and said, “I’ll be right back. You stay there, I need to talk to the officer.” Jacob nodded his head looking nervous and she left to go outside.

Evangeline stepped down off her front porch and walked towards the car. A tall officer with a gray mustache exited the vehicle and waved to her. “Evenin’ officer,” she said.

“Afternoon, ma’am” he replied, “I was told a little boy came to you sayin he was lost; is that right?”

She nodded her head and proceeded to say “yes, his name is Jacob. He doesn’t seem to be hurt at all, just scared. Follow me; he’s inside.”

Evangeline led him into the house and into the living room where she had left the child. However, when they got there, he was gone.

“Jacob,” she yelled, “where did you go this time?” She walked down the hallway and checked every room and closet but couldn't find him. She made her way back to the living room and said to the officer “I left him right here, I have idea where he could of gotten to.”

It was then that she looked past the officer towards her screen door and saw Jacob standing in the garden. “There he is!” she shouted.

The two made their way out the door. “Jacob!” Evangeline yelled, “I told you to stay inside.” Just as she was about to step off her porch, the boy took off into the woods.

Evangeline took off after him with the officer trailing behind her yelling “ma’am wait.” She kept running after the boy trying to keep up, but he seemed to keep disappearing among the tall trees.

“Ma'am!” yelled from behind her, “who are we chasing after?” he asked.

Evangeline looked at him and said “Jacob. I saw him take off this way. He must have gotten scared.”

The officer looked at her curiously and said, “You saw him run in this direction?”

She nodded, saying frantically, “Yes I did, he’s the little boy with that brown hair an freckles, and he looked plumb filthy. You didn’ see him?”

“Maybe he just ran off before I could get a good look at him,” he said. “Let’s keep going and see if we can find him. I’ll call for backup.” The officer turned away and talked to dispatch through his walkie-talkie.

Evangeline turned around and looked for any sign of the little boy. In the distance, just beyond an old magnolia tree, she could see him standing and staring at her. Without thinking, she ran towards him,hoping to catch up with him. When she was about halfway to him, he stepped around the other side of the tree slowly as if he were in a trance. Evangeline was starting to get tired of all the running, and hoped that when she rounded the side of the tree he would be waiting with an explanation. As she grew closer, she slowed herself down to a walk so she didn’t scare him.

She could hear the officer in the distance yell, “Ma’am, could you please stop running off. I called for backup, and they’ll be here soon.”

Evangeline turned and shushed the man before he scared the boy off again. “He’s on the other side of the tree,” she whispered. “I don’t want him to run again.” The officer nodded to her and let her continue.

“Jacob” she said quietly, “this officer is here to help you get home, Sweetie. All we want to do is help and make sure you’re safe.” Evangeline slowly made her way to the side of the tree and began to smell something other than the magnolia blossoms in the tree branches above her.

As she rounded the side of the tree’s large trunk, she expected to see the boy curled up and cowering. However, when she looked at the ground where he should be, she saw the body of a small boy lying there. She screamed.

The officer pushed past her and looked down in shock. Evangeline was confused. The boy on the ground looked like Jacob. He had the same brown hair and freckles on his face, even the same clothes, but this boy was white and the flowers above her head and his cheeks were sunken in. His eyes were open, unseeing. The officer bent down to the body and felt for a pulse. “He’s dead and cold,” he said, “I would say he’s been here for a few days, maybe even weeks. Is this the boy you saw in your yard?”

“Yes,'' Evangeline said with a quivering voice, “he was just in my house watchin' cartoons.” She could feel the tears falling down her cheeks as she spoke.

The officer stood up and spoke to the dispatcher once more. “We're gonna need a coroner here, too. I’ll meet them at the driveway in a moment.”

As the officer was talking to dispatch, Evangeline crouched down by Jacob’s body and began to cry more. She picked up his hand and held it as she cried. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up, expecting to see the officer; however, it was Jacob standing there with a shiny mist surrounding him. He smiled at her and waved.

“Thank you for finding me,”he said.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered to him.

Jacob smiled and said, “Don’t be. I’m all right. I just wanted to make sure I was found.” He waved his little hand, and she waved back.

As he began to fade away, the last word that left him was a sweet whispered “Goodbye.”

By Danny Adams

Biographies

Judges

Ashley Balderson ’15, from Fredericksburg holds an Environmental Science degree from Ferrum College. She was a member of the Boone Honors Program and often won Chrysalis's art contest. She is a professional artist specializing in sculpture. Her work is available on Etsy at ArtfromAshley and on Facebook at Painted Dog Art.

Brad Holley is a professional photographer from Ferrum. He is best known for wedding pictures and portraits but also loves to take landscape and nature photos. His work has been featured in Ferrum College publications and social media.

Dan Smith of Roanoke is a veteran journalist and award-winning editor and photographer. A member of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame and a former Virginia Business Journalist of the Year, he has won state, national and international awards for his work with newspapers, magazines, radio and the internet. He has written eight books; his most recent novel is NEWS!

Raven Walker ’17, graduated from Ferrum College with a major in English and minors in Russian and History. She was in the Boone Honors Program. She lives in Franklin County with her partner and son and works as a bookkeeper. She also writes short horror fiction and runs her small business, Moonshine Capital Candle Company.

Staff

Riley Church is a senior who enjoys reading, writing, photography, and hanging out with friends. She hopes to travel the world and experience new cultures.

Kristina Cossa from Apex, N.C., is a senior with a major in Liberal Studies and minors in English and Theater. She is assistant editor of Chrysalis and has been on the staff all eight semesters.

M. Katherine Grimes is professor of English, coordinator of the English program, and advisor to Chrysalis. She is editor of Critical Insights: The Outsiders and coeditor of Critical Insights: The Harry Potter Series.

Kiersten Jones from Roanoke is a Music Performance major and an English minor. She plays electric bass guitar.

Scout Lynch is an English major and member of the Boone Honors Program who finds passion in writing, baking, crafting, and anything animal-related.

Kenaz Moon is a third-year Mass Communication and Media major with a minor in Psychology. He is from Gretna.

Marina Powell is a sophomore from Rocky Mount. She is majoring in Music Business with an Art minor and enjoys writing, drawing, music, and strong coffee. She is editor-in-chief of Chrysalis.

Other Contributors

Danny Adams from Vinton is Ferrum's night-time library reference assistant. He has published three novels, as well as short stories and poems in magazines including Appalachian Heritage, Asimov's Science Fiction, and Strange Horizons.

Lily Allen, an Animal Science major from Plattsburgh, N.Y., enjoys riding horses.

Gabriel Alvarez is a freshman from Maracaibo, Venezuela. He is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Music. His goal is to get a Ph.D. in Sport Psychology. He is on the tennis team, and he enjoys playing the piano.

Jess Bollinger is a senior in the Boone Honors Program. Last fall semester she studied in London, England to finish her History major. After college she hopes to join the Peace Corps to travel and help people around the world.

Nancy Brubaker ’94, is a veterinarian, associate professor of Animal Science, and program coordinator of the One Health minor.

David “Chopper” Campbell, assistant professor of English and journalism, is the author of the novel Beandawg Mountain and a member of the band Kerosene Willy. He, his wife, and their four children live in Ferrum.

Catherine Coffee is a senior Graphic Design major and History minor. She plays guitar and played trumpet in the Ferrum College Marching Band for three years. She currently works in digital art, as she plans to make it her career.

Hannah Dix is a Media and Communication major. She also enjoys painting.

Lindsey Foster is a Media and Communication major with minors in Spanish and Journalism. She is editor-in-chief of The Iron Blade, Ferrum's newspaper.

Joshua Tyler Golden from Richmond is a Criminal Justice major. He plays football as a long snapper and defensive lineman.

Mason Hamer likes fishing, mountains, building things, food, bikes, learning, being outside, chainsaws, and doing bad art. He hopes to be part of Ferrum’s 2023 spring graduating class.

John Kitterman, professor emeritus of English, teaches in the English and Boone Honors Programs. He is the author of the novels The Seam and Dreamland.

Nicole Lynch, who was born and raised in Franklin County, is a Social Work major with minors in Sociology and English. Her main hobby is painting.

Candela Pérez Castellanos is from Madrid, Spain. Her name means fire, light. Her major is Art, and her minor is Psychology. She likes playing basketball and expressing what she feels with creativity.

Jazmin Scarberry is from a small town in southwest Virginia. She will graduate in May with a Bachelor of the Arts in History and minors in Ecotourism and English. She enjoys yoga, painting, writing. and spending time in nature.

Brianna Schenk from Salem is majoring in Middle School Mathematical Education. She is creative and open to trying new crafty things. She hopes to master her art skills and to become successful.

Harley Steger from Mechanicsville is a senior Criminal Justice major with a Forensic Investigation emphasis. She is a member of the Boone Honors Program. She enjoys photography, reading, board games, and family and friends. Madison Stephens came to Ferrum College to become a teacher and help grow the new generation's minds.

Lana A. Whited is professor of English and director of the Boone Honors Program. Her latest book is Murder, in Fact. She is currently editing The Ivory Tower, Harry Potter, and Beyond and writing a novel.