Never Wish For A Tornado
Written by, Peter Nolan
Written by, Peter Nolan
Mary was an average twenty two year old that attended the University of Louisville. She always dreamed of getting out of the farms and the vast planes that surrounded her, her whole childhood life in the state of Montana. Growing up in the state of Montana Mary was accustomed to severe weather when it came to tornado's. Three confirmed tornado's were reported in the year of 2012. Some years in Montana they have up to ten tornado's.
College was Mary's main priority as she was in her second year studying computer science at U of L. As with any Kentucky city college a lot of the students that attended the University of Louisville were born and raised in the state of Kentucky. When it comes to Kentucky the residents know that it is one of the least likely states to have tornadoes. Kentucky is known for its wide array of hilly terrain which is hard for a tornado to sustain.
Mary would get asked one particular question at least once a year by some of her closest friends. They would ask, ''Mary have you ever seen a tornado?'' They would be baffled by her response as she would kindly reply ''no''. One would imagine that someone born and raised in Montana would have at least seen one tornado growing up but Mary never got that chance to actually see a tornado let alone hear one.
At times Mary wished she would have seen a tornado just so she could astonish her friends with a tornado story that would intrigue them. If only she could tell them how loud a tornado can get. So loud that its almost to the point that you feel vibrations throughout your body to levels of rattling tremors. If only she could share just one tale about the devastation a tornado could reek on a desolate neighborhood in the middle of Montana.
Spring break only came once a year in the second month of April. After Packing all of her things Mary said good bye to her friends and scurried off to the clunker of a car her father bought her for on her sixteenth birthday. The drive home is always long so grabbing a few of the latest albums at the local record store was Mary's life line when it came to staying alert for the three and a half day drive from Kentucky to Montana.
With a warm welcoming smile Mary's mother stood there on the front porch of their old farm house as she always did when Mary would first arrive from college breaks. The month of April is often referred to as the tornado season in the treasure state so the skies were full of humongous clusters of clouds that seemed to reach the heavens above.
Almost as if it was in absolute sync, the second Mary stepped past the threshold of the doorway a bolt of lightning struck down in the front yard where Mary's mother would maintain her summer vegetable garden. Before they even noticed the wind was reaching speeds of two hundred and fifteen miles per hour. Every thing that was not heavy enough to withstand the force of the winds was ejected into the air.
Before even saying a word dad was rushing everyone to the underground cellar which was located just outside the brick house they once called home. The family knew the drill when it came to tornado warnings. Gathering the family and heading straight to the seller was the protocol during this type of emergency.
Before even saying a word dad was rushing everyone to the underground cellar which was located just outside the brick house they once called home. The family knew the drill when it came to tornado warnings. Gathering the family and heading straight to the seller was the protocol during this type of emergency.
Holding each other as tight as they could Mary's family sat there in the cellar motionless. The noise was like none other they have heard before. Not only was it loud but it was thunderous. Every surface in site was now in vibration as if the room as being shook up like dice in a giants hand. Dirt was falling from the ceiling above creating a smoky effect as if fog was present on a warm summer morning. None of the random objects remained on the wall that father had nicely placed there as if he ever intended them ever to stay in this type of circumstance.
Overhead they could hear the tornado engulf the small piece of real estate that they were clinging onto of dear life. For a brief second the noise was obsolete, maybe they were now in the eye of the beast Mary thought.
All at once the earth shaking effects were amongst them again. Adding insult to injury the tornado was back to bite again. Even tighter they held each other as if they knew it was the last human embrace they would share as a family. Then tornado sped away and beyond to reek more devastation in fathers corn field and the house where so many memory's were once stored.
Overhead they could hear the tornado engulf the small piece of real estate that they were clinging onto of dear life. For a brief second the noise was obsolete, maybe they were now in the eye of the beast Mary thought.
All at once the earth shaking effects were amongst them again. Adding insult to injury the tornado was back to bite again. Even tighter they held each other as if they knew it was the last human embrace they would share as a family. Then tornado sped away and beyond to reek more devastation in fathers corn field and the house where so many memory's were once stored.
And Like that it was over.
The tornado was gone. Everyone remained clinching each other a few seconds after the ciaos was calm. Slowly they let go of the grasp they maintained and dusted off as if they were in a sand box. A thin layer of dirt covered every surface on the small cellar where they still remained.
The tornado was gone. Everyone remained clinching each other a few seconds after the ciaos was calm. Slowly they let go of the grasp they maintained and dusted off as if they were in a sand box. A thin layer of dirt covered every surface on the small cellar where they still remained.
Mary was the first to poke her head of the buried box under the ground they has held in. Never once has she actually been in a tornado let alone for one to pass right over her without leaving a scratch. Mary first thought was that she was happy and her second was that one should never wish for a tornado.
