OCR Text |
Show Twisters . . . 65 Then the two of them came out to the street where we waited, bunched together with our backs to the wind, "You all live around here?" he shouted. Smiley and I gave him our names and addresses. He wrote it all down on a pad that came out of his pocket. "Officer, please," Mrs. Smiley asked, "how bad is it?" I could see his shoulders sag in the wash of our light. He hesitated, slapping his huge gloves against his leg as we closed in to hear better. "Ma'am, I wish I knew. Capital Heights, Kuester's Lake were both hit before you were. Another one touched down north of here. Patrol cars coming in from Hastings say there's been some twister action around Phillips, that's all I know." I drew in my breath. Not Phillips! Not the farm! I was strangled by fear all over again, "You folks get out as fast as you can--" he went on "--power lines are down everywhere. Mainline gas has been shut off, but there'6 no way to guarantee anyone's safety if they stay in the area." With the next jab of lightning he left us and returned to his crew. The sky grumbled all the way across and back again as I sent up one more desperate prayer. Even above the storm I could hear the racket my heart was making against my ribs. The look on Arthur's face told me he knew what was going on in my mind. His dad was safe at the Armory, "Come on, Dan," he pulled me around, "let's you and me hustle Smiley down to the bus. You can a6k around, find out something, okay?" I wanted to run after that fireman, to make him tell me more, but already Smiley was getting a good grip on my arm. |