Page 78 of Unforgotten

But the rope that held them together did.

“We did it!” Candace cried out. “Hallelujah!”

“God is so good. I’ve been praying nonstop.”

“He is good. Now, see if you can kind of twist and get your hands near the nail.” As Bethanne contorted, Candace was able to help her reach it. “Can you try to pull it out?”

“I’ll try.”

Watching Bethanne stretch her arms and then somehow pinch the sides of two of her fingers together to pull on the nail, Candace was in awe. Bethy wasn’t giving up, even though the old nail already had her bleeding.

“I think I got—oh!” Bethanne cried out as her fingers slipped and her arms fell.

“Here, I’ll take a turn.”

“Nee. Let me give it another go. It’s just that...” Her voice drifted off.

“I know.” Candace finished the thought. “Your arms are screaming, your wrists are stinging, and your hand now hurts too.”

“Yep. But we’re okay, ain’t so?”

“Yeah.”

Inhaling, Bethanne bent forward and stretched her hands. “Help me, Candace,” she said around a groan.

“What can I do?”

“Besides tell me what to do now?”

“Right. You’re almost there. A little to the left now. There.”

Bethanne grabbed it. “Got it. Now pray.”

Of course. “Dear God. Please help Bethanne. Please giveher the strength she needs to...” Was she really going to ask God to help her pull out a nail?

“Pull out this nail,” Bethanne said through clenched teeth.

“To pull out this nail,” Candace repeated, smiling in spite of the situation. Her shy, seemingly weak cousin had more fortitude and grit than anyone had ever expected.

“Candace, help please,” Bethanne said with more than a little impatience.

“Sorry. God, please help Bethanne pull this nail. Help her hands and her arms and—”

“And her back!”

“And her back,” Candace repeated. “Please give us both Your courage to keep fighting. Your will be done. And please—”

“Amen!” Bethanne cried out as the nail pulled out of the old, worn wood. But it flew out of her hand and onto the floor.

They both gasped. “Oh no,” Bethanne moaned. “It slipped out of my fingers.”

With how bloody her cousin’s fingertips were, Candace wasn’t surprised. “Did you see where it landed?”

“No. Did you?”

Candace shook her head. “But we’ll find it. Can’t be that hard.”

Except it wasn’t as easy as she’d hoped—even with them both down on their knees looking. The dim light and the dirty floor didn’t help, and neither did the tears blurring Candace’s vision.

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