Missing: A Short Story by Paula G Akinwole.

Below is the story of a mother trying to locate her missing daughter. She is told to call a hotline that could help but gets an experience she wasn’t expecting. You may read along or listen to the dramatized version of this story below.

“This is WeGotEm. My name is Deborah. Can I have your case number?”

“Case number? I don’t have a case number. I’m calling because my daughter is missing.”

“Alright, I’d be happy to get you started. What’s your daughter’s name?”

“Kaya Banks. I said all of that in the automatic system. Please, just help me. She’s been gone for 2 days and the detective said I should call you!”

“But they didn’t give you a case number? Odd.”

“NO! They just gave me this number.”

“Okay ma’am. I can look up the case for you by your phone number here…. I’ve got it. Mrs. Banks? It’s unfortunately a partially completed report right now as this is still a new case but I can work with that. Did the detective give you a rank?”

“A what?”

“A rank. It’s a 1- 4 # that is printed on the card. Might have a decimal… like a 2.9 or 3.4.”

“Oh yes, okay… It’s a one.”

“A one?”

“Yes, a one! What does that mean?”

“One is… good. Most cases are four meaning there’s a very small chance the person is still alive and if they are they would ever return. But your daughter is a one. Congratulations!”

“A one.. Okay! What happens now?”

“I’m texting you a link to an app. Go ahead and download it! It’s going to be very useful in this process. The app is called Lost & Found. Once downloaded, you can upload a picture of your loved one, any details you have from their last known location, and a voice clip would be helpful.”

“A voice clip?”

“Yes, that way if she calls, we can match her voice or breathing right away and alert the authorities to her location.”

“Oh my god! What if she never calls? If she’s kidnapped, she might not have access to a phone.”

“Don’t worry Mrs. Banks. I’ve been working with WeGotEm for 12 years. 72% of level one cases call or show up back home within the first month. These kids typically ran away or just fell asleep somewhere.“

“My child didn’t do that. She didn’t come home after school.”

“Hmmm, and they gave her a level one? Is she white?”

“Black.”

“Okay, let’s bump you to a level 2 then. That must have been an oversight. But no worries, we still have that first month to consider.”

What happens after the first month?”

“Well, if the police have no new leads, her ranking might change to a 4 but don’t worry about that right now! WeGotEm is dedicated to finding your loved one using our comprehensive database. It expands nationwide and beyond if needed.”

“I just need to find my daughter. She’s probably so afraid.”

“Yes, we know. And we want to give you peace of mind that everything will be okay. Just leave it up to us. To get started, the first month’s payment is $1865. Do you want to pay that with a debit or credit card?”

“Eighteen hundred dollars? I thought this was a free service? You charge to find our children?”

“No ma’am, the police will work this case for free. However, it’s 2027. Hundreds of people go missing weekly these days and the police are limited. But WeGotEm has the technology and the additional motivation to consider your case high priority. And you’ll have the app.”

“…. I don’t have that much money.”

“Well, we could do our 12 months plan”

“I thought you said you would find her within a month?”

“Well yes, as a level one and with a full payment. But if you can’t afford that, we can do a 12 month installment plan. That gets you the Amber Alert and the Marcus Alert, we can rank her a level 3 and you pay as you go. The same resources are available to you and the odds are, she still comes home in a month or so. You’d just need to pay the remaining balance as soon as she does… come home.”

“What if I can’t pay it right when she comes home?”

“Then she becomes a level 4 and we hold onto her until you can pay. Alright Mrs. Banks, let’s get your first payment on the books so we can start the process of finding your daughter.”

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