Recap: They land in Spain. They are really staying in an old Spanish castle. There’s a carnival going on down the block, and Miri takes Breindy to the carnival. Someone asks Miri for directions, and when she turns back to take Breindy to a ride, she isn’t there. She can’t find Breindy.

“Breindy!” I yelled over the loud music and the noisy crowd.

Where was she? I remembered that she said she wanted to go back. If only I’d listened and taken her home. I ran around to all the booths, searching for Breindy and calling her name.

I had a pit in my stomach. What if she was kidnapped? What if I never found her? Please, Hashem, help me find her.

A lady approached and asked if everything was all right. “No, I’m looking for my cousin. She’s a little girl with dark braids. Did you see her?”

The lady shook her head.

The carnival music taunted me with its happy tune. Where could Breindy be? How could I have lost her? I saw the woman who had asked me for information standing by one of the booths. If only I hadn’t stopped and spoken with her.

If only…

I tried to think logically. Could Breindy have run back home herself? It was possible. She was a smart little girl. That was it. She must have run back. She’d know the way even if we had only done it once. I asked Hashem to help me find Breindy. Please, Hashem, help me.

I glanced all around as I started running towards the castle. I heard a rumble of thunder. It sounded like a distant train approaching. I kept running, and I asked Hashem, Please let Breindy be back at the castle.

I looked for her flying braids in the distance, but I didn’t see them. The cobblestone streets were hard to run on, but I zoomed ahead towards the castle. She had to be there. She just had to.

Just as I got there, thunder rumbled again. I grabbed the gold knocker and knocked hard on the castle door. Bella answered.

“Did Breindy come back?” I asked, all out of breath.

She nodded.

“Where is she?”

She pointed towards the courtyard.

Baruch Hashem!

I rushed outside into the courtyard. Katie was there, and she ran over to me.

“Breindy ran ahead of me. I couldn’t find her,” I panted.

“Was it a fun carnival?” Katie asked.

I shrugged. “Fun” would not be a good description. I was still trying to calm down from the worry of losing Breindy.

“I spoke to my friends. They’re all jealous of me being in a real Spanish castle,” Katie said.

They can have it, I thought. I wish I’d never come here.

The sky darkened. The dog loped over to us. I backed away from it.

A few drops of rain fell. Thunder rumbled again. Breindy wasn’t in the courtyard. My stomach clenched. Had she really come home? I glimpsed her stuffed dog, Daisy, lying on the ground. I bent to pick it up. Just then, Breindy rushed into the courtyard and the door slammed behind her.

“Breindy, why did you leave the carnival? I was so worried,” I said.

I couldn’t hear her answer because just then, a torrent of rain poured from the sky, pounding the ground and soaking us.

Katie and I both headed towards the door to the kitchen. “We have to go back inside!” I yelled.

Katie tugged at the door handle.

“It’s jammed. I can’t open it,” Katie said.

I tried. The door wouldn’t budge.

The rain was pounding harder. I felt like I was in a waterfall.

We both tried to pry it open. We knocked frantically, but the rain was so loud it drowned out our knocks and yells. Breindy started crying. “I want to go in!”

“Maybe we can catch Bella’s attention in the kitchen!” I yelled.

I glimpsed a window leading to the kitchen a few feet away. I headed towards the glass. I peered inside. It was dark in the kitchen. How would I get Bella’s attention?

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning speared a zigzag across the sky.

“Watch out!” Katie screamed.

I turned in time to see a heavy branch from the big olive tree in the center of the courtyard flying straight towards me.

I froze. The branch struck my head…

 To be continued…

Susie Garber is the author of 11 popular Jewish books, including her newly released historical fiction novel The Blizzard (Menucha 2026) and recently published novel Captured (Menucha 2025). She is also the current news editor of Binyan Magazine.