After waking from my afternoon nap, and realizing the children would be home soon from the SS picnic, I quickly gobbled up a leftover piece of pizza from the fridge. I wanted a little strength to endure the high level of excitement and stories that a SS picnic naturally brings Soon after I ate that pizza (or did I even finish it?), the phone rang. After picking up the receiver, and saying "hello," I heard someone say, "This is Aaron Mast, and I'm calling because you're children have been in a bad accident." I didn't know who this person was, and I didn't know what he was talking about. But, my next question was "are they ok, did anyone die? " He said he didn't know much more but that I need to come quickly. Wolf was at Great Bend. So, I called Dolores Wagler, my wonderful neighbor, to come with me. Before I could leave that house I knew I needed God's help, and naturally collapsed on my knees in prayer. Sebi appeared 'out of nowhere,' (thought he was at the picnic) and witnessed and wondered about what was happening. I told him there was a bad accident and the children were involved. As we jumped in the car and went to get Dolores, I realized in my rush, I forgot to replace my covering after my nap, so back I went.
As we drove down the now 'infamous' Riverton Road, we pass a lot of nice, normal houses and I think "it probably isn't a big thing." Nothing around me looked chaotic or stressed! That is until I reached the final mile. The tree-lined road opened into a wide field. In the distance were all sorts of cars/trucks/lights, and amidst that scene 2 helicopters, one soon followed by another, were rising away from the scene into the blue sky. I parked the car, and told Dolores I can't walk over there. I couldn't face the unknown. But, despite saying that, I saw myself getting out of our van and walking over there. When I first saw Anna, Ezra, and Beth standing in a huddle to the side of the scene, I went to them in relief that they were at least ok. Ezra told me right away that Seth died. But Anna, not wanting me to feel the pain yet, said, "no, Mama, he didn't." I didn't know what to believe. At that point I was still missing two of my children, Maggie and Hadassah. So when I asked where they
were, the children told me they were flown to the hospital in the helicopters. They also told me that
Maggie's neck was run over by the tractor. (Much later, after the funeral even, I learned the full story:
The children were given a hay rack ride with a tractor, but some were (unfortunately) able to sit in the bucket. As the tractor drove home, the child on the driver's lap (or beside the driver?), touched the forbidden lever that instantly makes the bucket dump. The children in the bucket say they remember turning around, wondering what was happening...Seth even said, "what in the world?" Apparently, the bucket went up a bit before it dumped. The next thing they recall is being scattered all over the road in various degrees of pain.)
At this point, I realized I hadn't even called Wolf yet. So I fumbled with the phone and when I heard his voice, I informed him of what was happening. (He had already gotten a call by the police and knew). When I told him I didn't know what was happening with Seth, he said to me, "What do you mean? Seth is dead." At that point, I crumbled and weakly whispered, "He is?" Wolf was then
overcome with sympathy for me because he thought I knew. But in all the chaos, and whatnot, nobody had approached me yet. Wolf got out of work fast and rushed to us. In the meantime, a lady
asked me if I wanted to see Seth (in the ambulance). What do you say at a moment like that? Well, I did and he was cleaned up and just looked like he had a nap, too. At that point I felt strength surge through me, and I knew God had me in His hands. My focus shifted to the ones flying to the hospital. If Maggie's neck got ran over, .......!
Curtis and Lorene drove Dolores and I to the hospital, while the rest of the children were being cared for at Eli Yoder's place. We got to the waiting room, and then went up to the appropriate floor. The
first thing I saw was a sign that said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me...." I was not ready
to feel the weight of those words. Soon after I saw Maggie. She looked.....ALIVE!...... and so beautiful. She talked fine and quickly told me how she had a lift in the helicopter and worse of all, they gave her a shot! She didn't know about Seth, but guessed the outcome. She said the tractor wheel went over her head, but she doesn't remember anything else. She did have a cut on her head
that needed stitches, and an abrasion along her face and neck, but thankfully, that was it. Hadassah looked much worse. She immediately asked how Seth was, and seeing how serious her situation was, I just reassured her that he was in Good Hands. She had fractured her bladder and right hip bone, and had all sorts of tubes attached to her. Later she told me she knew Seth didn't make it.
That night I sat in a chair in the girl's room. I would drift into sleep, then frightfully awaken to
reality. I ran to the bathroom to cry, but then my mind said, "why are you crying, he's not dead!!" Then I would agree and go back to the chair and rest, until it happened again and again...basically the same scenario repeated itself all night. My mind would only accept the pain in little bits. I never
could feel the full pain/reality of it all....until the next night. I remember they gave me a little room
to sleep in (Wolf had the rest of the children at home by now). That night reality hit. I called Wolf and he quickly found a babysitter and came to be with me. I also called Dorothy Nisly who spoke extreme comfort into my soul.
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