“Yes, Doctor Alison,” he said with a wink. “I promise I’ll go soon. Wyatt, take care of your cousin. I’ll keep a lookout for Licorice.” With that, Wyatt’s parents jumped into the SUV and headed out to check the damage. And with everything at the Andersons’ under control, Mr. Petree decided to head back to help his own family with the long clean-up process ahead.
Alison and Wyatt walked to the barn to get a better look at how the horses and goats had fared.
“Maybe Licorice has already come back,” Alison said. Wyatt hoped she was right, that he’d see Licorice in his stall, like nothing had ever happened.
But the stall with the busted door was empty. One by one, Alison and Wyatt gave the animals a good going-over. Molasses had a cut on his flank that looked raw, so Alison helped him disinfect and bandage it. “We’ll get the vet out here to check on him tomorrow,” Wyatt said. “He’ll probably need a round of antibiotics, but I imagine he’ll be fine.”
“Hey, where’s Duncan?” Alison asked.
Wyatt looked around. “He isn’t with the goats?”
“Nope.” Alison frowned. “I haven’t seen him at all since we came back. Have you?”
Wyatt shook his head. He ran outside with Alison and they both called for him. No big white shaggy creature came.
“Maybe he went looking for us,” Alison said. She started to pace back and forth nervously. “What if he got caught in the second tornado?”
Wyatt tried to remain calm but felt a sudden, painful rush of emotion now that the adrenaline of the immediate aftermath of the tornadoes was over. He loved Licorice. He loved Duncan. He couldn’t imagine life on the ranch without them!
Next thing he knew, Alison let out a squeal and pointed.
There was Duncan slowly making his way toward the barn, leading the way as a limping Licorice trailed behind him.
Every once in a while the dog would stop and wait for the horse to catch up with him.
Good old Duncan found Licorice for me, Wyatt thought. He was doing his job, taking care of his animals.
Alison ran to greet Duncan and smothered him with hugs and kisses. Wyatt raced for Licorice and wrapped his arms around the horse’s neck. Licorice’s long mane tickled his nose. He checked Licorice’s leg. The vet would have another patient to see in the morning.
The cousins walked the animals the rest of the way to the barn.
“I’m going to miss Duncan like crazy when I go back to New York,” Alison said. She paused a moment and then said, “And I’m going to miss you, too, Wyatt.”
Wyatt thought for a moment. Alison was smart. And tougher than she looked. And she cared about his animals as much as he did. She’d turned out to be all right. “I guess I’ll miss you, too,” he said with a laugh. He hadn’t thought it possible, but he really and truly meant it.
Wyatt saw a cluster of skyscrapers all crowded together out the plane window. The scenery was so different than the miles and miles of grassy fields back home. Soon the plane would circle and land, dropping him off among the steel and concrete giants.
His mother nudged him and flashed a smile. “Won’t be long,” she said. She’d be spending a few days with her sister’s family before flying back to the ranch, leaving Wyatt for an extended stay in the big city. “Are you excited?” she asked. “You’ve been rather quiet.”
Wyatt nodded and grinned. “Don’t worry. I’m excited. I was just thinking about when Alison came to visit us in Oklahoma.” The harsh August sunlight streamed in through the small window, making Wyatt squint. The two tornadoes that’d shook up his world in early June already seemed like distant history. Besides the damage to their property and to the Petrees’, three other homes and at least two barns had been destroyed. Luckily their county wasn’t heavily populated. Wyatt’s family had also lost six cows when the tornadoes struck, but considering how large a herd they had, it didn’t damage the family business too much, though he was sad for the loss. Joshua, Jackson, and their parents had ended up staying with the Andersons through mid-July, until the repairs to their home made it livable. It’d been crowded, especially in the evenings when everyone gathered after a hard day’s work, but it’d been sort of fun, too, to have a boisterous full house. Especially since he was an only child.
“It’ll be so nice to see Alison again,” his mother said. “I sure got attached to having that girl around for a while!”
His mother was right. It would be nice to see Alison again, Wyatt thought. He couldn’t believe how close he’d gotten to his cousin in the two weeks she’d stayed at the ranch. They’d worked side by side, helping with cleanup and taking care of the many animals on the ranch. But his parents made sure they also had time just to hang out and have fun. It turned out he’d been right about her. She was a totally girly girl. But she was a hard worker, too. And she’d even managed to beat him at FreakFighters. He’d almost gotten teary-eyed when she’d had to say good-bye but managed not to make a fool of himself. And he wasn’t the only one who missed her. Jackson and Joshua were sad to see her go, too. Even Duncan had moped around for days after she left. Wyatt remembered Alison wistfully mentioning wanting to smuggle Duncan home in her suitcase. If the laws of physics had allowed, she probably would have!
* * *
Wyatt dragged his carry-on bag behind him and peered into the waiting crowd at the airport. Suddenly he spied a familiar face. A dark-haired girl waving wildly and jumping up and down. She bolted from her mother and rushed over to him. “You’re here! You’re here! I can’t believe you’re here!”
Wyatt laughed. “Yeah, I’m here. I’m not a mirage. At least I don’t think I am.”
Alison jokingly poked him, as if checking to make sure. “Yep. You’re real all right! How is Licorice? And Duncan?” she asked Wyatt.
“Licorice’s leg is back to normal. No more limping. And I even started ramping him back up for barrel racing a few weeks ago. He’s as fast as ever. Duncan is keeping order in the barn, as usual.” Wyatt grinned. “After you left I was half afraid he would go off looking for you!”
“Aw, I still miss the big guy,” Alison said. “Hey, what do you want to see first? Dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History or mummies at the Metropolitan Museum of Art?”
It was a hard decision, both sounded cool. “Mummies,” Wyatt finally decided.
“But first we have to get you settled in at our new apartment,” Alison said. “Did my mom tell you guys that we moved last month? The new apartment isn’t that far from our old place. And there is one really super great thing about it. It’s a surprise. I can’t wait to show you!”
On the taxi drive to the apartment, Alison talked about all of the plans she’d made for his stay. A funny Broadway show with lots of action, a trip to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and a visit to Times Square. Wyatt remembered how, at the beginning of summer, he imagined being cooped up all day with nothing to do. Boy, did he have it wrong — it sounded like Alison was going to keep him very busy!
Before long the taxi ride was over and Alison’s mother was fishing for her keys to unlock the door to their new apartment.
“So time for the surprise?” Wyatt asked.
“Just wait,” Alison said.
The door swung open and a tiny white dog bounded toward Wyatt! A scruffy mutt that looked like a miniature version of Duncan.
“Our new apartment allows pets! I finally have a dog!” Alison shouted. She scooped the puppy up and cuddled him. “His name is Twister. We got him from the animal shelter a few weeks ago.” She put the dog down, and soon Twister was zipping and circling around them like a windup toy. “I named him Twister because he reminds me of a little tornado when he gets excited. And also because, well, you know … everything that we went through together.”
Wyatt was glad his cousin finally had a pet. As much as she loved animals she deserved to have one. But even though she now had a dog of her own, Wyatt hoped Alison would come back to the ranch next summer. He had to admit, despite his initial feeling
s, the cousin swap idea his mother and aunt came up with ended up being pretty cool.
“Here, boy,” Wyatt called. The little dog ran toward him, tail wagging. Twister jumped and barked and spun around until Wyatt couldn’t help but laugh. And when he finally slowed down, Wyatt patted his head. “Nice to meet you, Twister,” he said. “No offense, but I hope you’re the very last Twister I’ll ever meet!”
“I’ll second that!” Alison knelt down to pet Twister, too, and she and Wyatt exchanged a look that didn’t need words. They’d shared moments of sheer terror together. But they’d survived.
“So are you ready to go face those mummies?” Alison asked.
“Sure,” Wyatt said.
In fact, he couldn’t wait!
• Tornadoes form from thunderstorms. Much remains a mystery about how tornadoes are created, but it involves warm, moist air colliding with cool dry air. This can cause the air to rotate and twist into a funnel or rope shape.
• Tornadoes have been recorded on every continent except for Antarctica. The United States averages over 1,200 tornadoes every year, more than any other country. Most happen in a geographic region called Tornado Alley, a flat stretch of land between Texas and North Dakota.
• Most tornadoes go less than 100 miles per hour and only travel a few miles before vanishing. But extreme tornadoes can reach speeds of more than 300 miles per hour and can travel over 100 miles.
• One of the longest and deadliest tornadoes on record, the Tri-State Tornado of 1925, traveled for 3.5 hours through parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. It left a path of destruction more than 219 miles long.
• A tornado in Kansas once plucked the feathers right off some chickens. In Oklahoma, a tornado picked up and carried a small herd of cattle before finally depositing them in another part of the countryside, uninjured. Waterspouts, which are tornadoes that form over bodies of water, have been known to rain fish and frogs!
• The word tornado was banned from use in weather forecasting from 1887 to 1952. At the time, technology could not predict where or when a tornado would hit and little was understood about how they formed, so it was thought that using the word would spread unnecessary panic.
• Fortunately we now know a lot more about tornadoes. Meteorologists can predict if conditions are favorable for their formation. The National Weather Service (NWS) issues tornado forecasts using real-time weather observations from many different technologies including satellites, weather stations, balloon packages, airplanes, wind profilers, and radar.
• When meteorologists issue a Tornado Watch, it means the conditions are right for tornado formation. Stay tuned to the radio or television news for more information. A Tornado Warning means a tornado has actually been sighted, so you should seek shelter immediately. If there is a Tornado Warning in your area, there are some things you can do to help keep yourself safe:
• Go to an underground storm shelter or to a basement and protect yourself by crawling under something sturdy, like a table. Covering yourself with a mattress can also protect you from falling debris.
• In a home or building without an underground shelter or basement, stay on the first floor in a centrally located room without windows such as a bathroom, closet, or hallway, or underneath a stairwell. Crouch down low, facedown, and put your hands over your head. Place something over you for protection if possible.
• If you are outdoors without nearby shelter, seek low ground and lie flat, facedown. Protect the back of your head with your arms. Get as far away from trees and cars as you can, as tornado winds can lift them and blow them around in unpredictable ways.
Noah looked toward the summit of the volcano. It seemed peaceful under the blue skies, but he turned toward his sister for reassurance anyway. “It’s not going to erupt, is it?” he yelled over the roar.
“I don’t know, but I’m not sticking around to find out!” Emma yelled back. “We need to head back to the boat.”
“I’m with you. This is freaking me out. I’ve never heard anything like it before!” Alex said.
They scrambled down the mountainside as best they could, the scary-loud rumbling sound chasing after them. But it was slowgoing. Painfully slow. Running down the uneven, sloping ground was next to impossible.
“Dad said this volcano might not blow for a hundred years,” Noah called out to the other two in ragged huffs. “Maybe thousands.”
“In other words, it’s totally unpredictable!” Emma barked back. “We can’t take any chances. There’s no telling how dangerous it may be!”
But Noah wasn’t listening anymore. Because just then he lost his footing on the rough terrain, fell to the ground, and slid down the slope feetfirst. His body twisted, and his stomach scraped the ground as he skidded farther down the slope. Rocks ripped at his jacket and he clawed at everything he could to stop his momentum.
Finally he slowed enough to struggle back to his feet. He looked up the mountainside to where they’d just come from and stood paralyzed for a moment, not quite believing what he saw. “Guys! Stop! Look!” he screamed.
A deep vertical crack in the earth was cleaving the ground before his eyes. Steam and smoke sprang from the crack, which expanded quickly, snaking down toward them.
The other two stopped in their tracks and turned to see what Noah was screaming about.
“It’s a fissure,” Emma shouted. “And it’ll make its way to us in a matter of seconds. We need to keep going! It could start spewing lava!”
As they hustled toward the shoreline, which still seemed impossibly far off, Noah kept glancing behind them. The fissure seemed to be catching up. It was spreading faster than they could run.
Maybe we should be running sideways to escape it, Noah thought. But by that time, they’d reached a dip in the slope that suddenly deepened and narrowed — a natural crevice that had formed years ago. They’d have to climb up a steep embankment to go sideways, which would take too much time.
“Hurry!” Alex screamed at the twins.
But Noah couldn’t help craning his neck to look at the rift again. Lava was already spewing into the air where it’d first opened up. And just feet behind them, the earth continued to crack open. “It caught us! Jump to the side! Jump to the side!” Noah bellowed.
Alex and Emma jumped to the right. Noah jumped to the left. In an instant they were separated by the fissure, which had split the earth between them.
Marlane Kennedy is the author of Me and the Pumpkin Queen and The Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes. She has lived through one tiny earthquake, the blizzard of 1978, and a tornado that swept through Wooster, Ohio, where she lives with her husband and daughter. Though she is having a blast writing about disasters, she is hoping not to add any more to this list! You can find her online at www.marlanekennedy.com.
Text copyright © 2014 by Marlane Kennedy
Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Scholastic Inc.
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
First printing, April 2014
Cover art by Erwin Madrid
Cover design by Nina Goffi
e-ISBN 978-0-545-53298-3
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
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Tornado Alley Page 4