Tornado Story

Story I wrote for health class.

 

The warm Nebraska summer day felt absolutely perfect against my face, warming my entire body. My little sister, Allie, sat on the ground next to where I was reading, playing ‘Tea Party’ with her stuffed bear. Feeling me eyeing her, she looked up and smiled angelically. Her straight brown hair opposites mine; her bangs swinging in front of her face and her brown eyes (like mine) showed nothing but happiness. I smiled back, running my left hand through my dark, wavy hair. Rolling her eyes, Allie mimicked me and winked at her bear. I laughed out loud and looked back at the sky. The dark orange sky beamed down like a caring mother does to her children.

                “Maybe it’s like Mother Nature,” I whispered.

                “Who?” Allie asked, looking up from under her broad hat’s brim.

                “Mother Nature. You know, like Mother Earth.”

                “I still don’t know who you’re talking about.” Allie sighed, shaking her head. Of course, I thought. She’s only six years old and more interested in her bear than she is with old people knowledge. Why do I even try? Then again, that sentence is very hypocritical since I am 17 years old and more interested in my manga than world news. Speaking of manga, I realized that I’d dropped my book with the pages down, embracing the concrete sidewalk. 

                “It’s okay.” I nodded.

                “Sidney?” Allie asked, her head cocked to the side. I examined her face before asking, “What is it, Allie?”

                “What’re those clouds?”

                My head snapped up, my eyes running over the orange sky before finding the source of her question. I raised the huge Aviators that I’d borrowed from my oldest brother, Kyle, which were resting on my nose. On the horizon, menacing indigo clouds lurked behind the last houses of our long street.

                The first gust of wind blew through my hair, confirming the threat of a tornado. It was a cold sensation as I remembered the old stories my dad used to tell me about Nebraska summers and the tornados that came with them. 

                “Sidney?”

                “Allie, get inside.” I instructed her, swiping up my book before folding up the lawn chair and setting it inside our open front door. Turning back, I saw Allie retrieve her stuffed bear before turning back to me. “Go! I’ll get the rest of your stuff.” I said, gently pushing her up the porch steps and picking up the small plastic table, cheap tea party accessories included. Once I’d gotten the chairs that she’d used, I ran inside and shut the screen door before swinging the heavy front door closed and turning to Allie just as the first drops of rain pelted the ground.

                “What’s going on?” She asked, hugging her bear to her chest.

                “Nothing right now,” I assured her, leading her into the living room and turning on the TV to the news. Sure enough, the weather ticker ran along the left side and bottom along with the map. I examined the map, internally seething about the fact that we lived in the middle of nowhere. The words ‘TORNADO WATCH’ lined the top and side of the ticker. A huge gust of wind battered the house like a harsh rake. With a cold feeling in my stomach, I heard a chunk of hail hit the cheap siding of the house. “Allie, where’s Kyle and Travis?”

                “They’re upstairs.” She told me. I stood and set the remote between the cushion and armrest of the chair, telling Allie not to change the channel and rushing upstairs. 

                In the farthest room from where I stood, the sounds of Xbox rose from the room like smoke from a small fire. I half walked and half skipped over to the room and stood in the doorway while the rain, hail, thunder, and lightning ravaged the sky. My oldest brother Kyle sat leaning back against his bean bag chair, casually jamming the control sticks up, down, and around. My eyes ran over his light brown hair that stuck straight out due to how short it was, his hard icy blue eyes that had hardened over time and ran over the TV, and the slight set in his jaw that told me he was thinking of something much more than just steering the car. Being the oldest and the man of the house at 24, it relieved me that he knew when to act like nothing was the matter when something really was. 

                “Kyle?” I asked, knocking on the maple doorframe. His head snapped up to see me, technically the woman of the house. 

                “Yeah?” He asked, raising his eyebrows.

                “Can I talk to you for a second?”

                “We’re busy,” Travis informed me, turning his jaw toward me but not unlocking his eyes from the TV. His hair, dark auburn like mine, curled around his head in a small, fuzzy afro that was in desperate need of cutting. It was hard to see his icy blue eyes that mirrored Kyle’s color, but I could tell they were full of intrigue. I smiled at his innocence of an 11 year old. He was old enough to understand when something was important and when I was just kidding. 

                “I see that,” I told him. “But I really need to talk to Kyle.” Pausing the game, Travis turned and examined my face before setting his controller down and taking a drink of the Mountain Dew that sat next to him. 

                “Go ahead,” he told me, waving his hand next to his face. 

                “Thanks bud.” I smiled, leading Kyle into the hallway and shutting the door. “Do you not hear the wind?” As if queued, another sharp gust rattled the house.

                “Of course I do.” Kyle rolled his eyes. “What do the news people say?” 

                “Tornado watch.” I mashed out of my teeth, curling my fists. As I ended my sentence, the wailing siren indicated a tornado warning. Kyle and I nodded, mentally telling each other what to do. Kyle swung open the door to get Travis while I turned on my heel and jumped down the stairs, seeing Allie’s mesmerized expression at the TV. I followed her gaze to see a funnel cloud reaching out from the wall cloud in the downtown of our town. My face turned to a picture of pure shock as Kyle and Travis’ feet thundered down the stairs with the rain and hail. A huge thunderclap rattled the house as I threw open the basement door and herded Allie and Travis downstairs before Kyle took the door from my hand and ushered me down behind them. I led the two youngest to the part of the basement that was underground and told them to get in their duck-and-cover positions I’d taught them when Kyle was at work.

                “What about Guinevere?” Allie asked, meaning her bear that she’d asked me to name for her. I took the bear and stuffed it under her body.

                “There you go. She’ll be fine.”

                “Sidney?” Travis asked, sounding awfully small and lost.

                “Yeah, Travis?”

                “Are we gonna be okay?”

                “Yes, we are,” Kyle answered for me. The house shook horribly as the second siren wailed, signaling for everyone to get in safe positions. Kyle and I ducked and covered our heads, facing the wall perpendicular to the one that Travis and Allie faced. 

                The harsh wind rattled the house one more time before completely tearing it off of the foundations, leaving the basement completely uncovered. I felt my feet almost leaving the ground, but the wood and siding and concrete walls of the basement caved us in.

                “Sidney!” Allie cried. I looked back at her, seeing her tear-stained face for a second before a block of concrete separated us. Moving my arms so my head was better covered, I curled more into a ball and prayed for the tornado to stop as more debris fell on and around us.

                When the chaos subsided, I pushed the heavy wood off of my back as I straightened up to look around. As I looked around, a stray nail punctured my cheek, leaving a scratch. Flinching away, I pressed my hand to my face and stood, making sure not to cut myself on anything else. I took in the sight of what was (or used to be) our house. Now all that was left was debris of concrete, rock, wood, and furniture. The picture was the same for our neighbors, though some were better off than others. 

                Kyle burst up beside me, pushing off a heavy block of rock. He turned and took in the scene, his face showing that he was lost and confused and mad. Remembering our younger siblings, I scanned the area until I realized that they must be under the debris.

                “Allie? Travis?” I asked, moving the board of wood that’d cut me. A cold panic rose in my spine when I looked at Kyle, who was also looking for them. “Allie! Travis! Where are you?” I started screaming, throwing debris off of where I knew they’d been when the tornado had hit. 

                “Allie! Travis!” Kyle echoed, helping me with the rocks. No, no, not them! I screamed internally, desperation driving me on. Not the way we lost mom and dad! 

                “Sid!” Travis’s muffled cry pulled me back into real life.

                “Travis?” I asked. “Where are you, bud?”

                “I’m here!”

                “Can you see Allie?” Kyle asked, still removing the rubble. I rejoined him.

                “Yeah, she’s right here. Hurry!”

                “We’re coming! Just hold on!” I promised him. At that moment, Travis’ small back appeared. Without the weight pressing down on him, he sat straight up, taking deep breaths. “Where’s Allie?”

                “She’s right there.” He told us, pointing right next to where I stood. Kyle rushed to help me remove the rest of the debris. Travis helped with what he could, and before long, we found Allie still curled around her bear. She sat up slowly, tears spilling out of her eyes relentlessly. My heart and soul refilled with joy as I saw her, especially when I thought she’d been dead. 

                “Allie!” I breathed, but she held up Guinevere.

                “She’s dead,” Allie whimpered, I smiled sadly and wrapped one arm around her, and the other around Travis.

                “Oh, honey that’ll be easy to fix,” I whispered to her as the two rested their chins on my shoulders. Kyle wrapped his arms around us, forming a group hug.

                “We’re just relieved you’re okay,” Kyle told her.

                “And together,” I added.