The Calm Before the Storm

The Calm Before the Storm


“What the hell is wrong with this weather?” Cassandra said, trying to hold open the screen door against the strong wind.

It was June, and the weather was acting like spring had never left.

Cassandra and her family lived in Lincoln, Ohio, a small city of maybe 1,000 people.Her husband, Trevor, grabbed the door for her. “Maybe spring decided to stay over a little late this year.” Their daughter Amanda was just coming up the steps. She had a calico-coloured kitten in her arms. She did not seem to notice the wind that was whipping her hair all around her face.

“Dad, dad!” She said, barely audible over the howling wind. She held the kitten under its front legs, and thrust it at her father. “Can I keep her?” Her father turned to her, still trying to keep the door open. “Mandy, honey. Does this look like the time to discuss this?” He pointed at the sky for emphasis.

Amanda slowly dropped the kitten. The wind continued to whip through her hair. The kitten mewed sadly. She set it down on the porch, and walked into the trailer with her head down. Her father looked at the kitten, which in turn looked up at him. The kitten shivered visibly. Trevor began to feel very sorry for it, but it was not his decision.

Cassandra came out of the trailer. She had turned to say something to Trevor, and never even noticed the kitten at her feet. Trevor threw out a hand, as if to warn her, but he was too late.

Cassandra’s feet and the kitten became tangled up, causing Cassandra to lose her balance and fall onto her behind. She let out a loud squeal, and the kitten ran underneath the grill.

Trevor let the door slam shut with a bang. He rushed over to Cassandra, a small smile on his face. He just couldn’t help it. Just the way she fell, and made that noise was priceless. As he reached down to grab her arm, the wind blew her shirt up into her face, and Trevor lost any composure he may have had.

Cassandra’s face was now beet red. “How dare you laugh at me.” She pulled her arm away from him and stood up. She brushed hard at the back of her pants, then winced. “Damn it!” That made Trevor laugh even harder. She only glared at him.

“What the hell did I trip over?” She asked, still wincing. She probably wouldn’t be able to sit very well for a while. Trevor cleared his throat and pointed to the kitten who was now peaking out from under the grill. Once she saw it, she immediately forgot about her sore rear end.

“Oh my.” She said, crouching uncomfortably. “She’s beautiful.” She put a hand out to the kitten. “Here kitty, it’s okay.” The kitten cocked its head, and then slowly walked out to her hand. It sniffed her fingers, never taking its eyes off of her. Then it did the cutest thing. It lowered its head, and nudged her hand. Cassandra’s face lit up. She picked the kitten up, and it nudged her face.

“Oh there is no doubt about it.” She said, looking at Trevor. The kitten was purring loudly in her right ear. “We are keeping it.” A little voice came from the screen door. “Yay!”


They both walked into the trailer and out of the nasty weather. Cassandra set the kitten down to roam around. It looked first at her, then at Trevor. When it saw Amanda, it trotted over to her, mewing happily.

“Have you been feeding it without us knowing?” Cassandra asked, heading for the small square kitchen. She opened the fridge, and the kitten perked up. That was all that she needed to know.

“So,” Trevor began. He sat beside his daughter and the small animal. It looked at him, and then hopped into his lap. He smiled, and petted it slowly on the head. “Have you got a name for it yet?”

Amanda stared at the kitten a moment. You could almost hear the gears turning in her head. “How about Cali?”

Trevor nodded, then pet the newly named kitten on the back. She arched and purred heavily.

Cassandra came back into the room, and turned on the TV. They had a satellite, and usually it would be out in this weather, but luckily, now, it was on.

She turned it to the local news channel. The weatherman was talking about the storm.
“A severe thunderstorm is in effect for the following counties: Brier, Clint, Danner, Green, Johnston, Mayer, Prince, Russell, Stainer, and Willan. Those counties again: Brier, Clint, Danner, . . . ”

The weatherman repeated the counties two more times. They lived in Clint. She did not have to hear the weather report to know the weather was bad. It’s just like that old saying: “Stick your head outside, and if its wet, it must be raining.”

Then the weatherman touched his ear. A moment or two went by, then a grave look crossed his face. “The weather condition in Clint, Stainer, and Brier counties has been updated to a Tornado Watch, I repeat the weather condition in Clint, Stainer and Brier counties, have been updated to a Tornado Watch.”

Cassandra’s eyes went wide. They lived in a thirty-year-old trailer. Where would they go? She vocalized this to Trevor. “Don’t worry. They will make a shelter in the school.” He held her hand. Amanda looked at her parents. She had never seen her mother so scared before.

They had only moved here two years prior, city folks all their lives, and this was the first major storm they had ever been in.

“Are we going to die?” She asked, picking Cali up from her father’s lap. She did not really know the concept of death just yet. Her grandfather had passed away only three months ago. That still had an effect on her at times, especially now.

Trevor put his arms around her. “No honey, nothing is going to happen. I promise.”

Suddenly every light in the trailer dimmed. Trevor stood up. Amanda pushed her face into his stomach. He could feel her shaking. He ran a hand through her mousy brown hair. That seemed to stop her shaking some.

“I better get the candles.” Cassandra said, heading for the kitchen. Just as she got through the doorway, the trailer became pitch black. This made Amanda scream. Trevor dropped to his knees, and held her tight, gently shushing her.

Cassandra made her way through the dark kitchen and found the cupboard where the candles were stored. She then worked her way to the fridge. Beside it was the match holder. She grabbed a handful, and as her eyes adjusted to the dark, she lit a candle. It softly illuminated the small kitchen and part of the living room. She carried three candles and a handful of matches into the living room.

After Amanda had calmed enough, Trevor took one of the candles, lit it, and went to find the battery powered radio used for times like these.

He came back a few minutes later and turned it on. It was already turned to the weather station; all he had to do was adjust the antenna. When he got it clear enough, he turned up the volume and they all listened in.

“I repeat. There has been an F1 Tornado spotted in Stainer County. It is heading east at 100 MPH. If you have a basement, please go there now. If you do not, go to a bathroom, or a closet.”

Now Trevor was the one to be jumpy. “I think we need to head for the bathroom now.” He stood up, and almost knocked over the candle in front of the radio.

There was no telling Cassandra and Amanda twice. They grabbed the radio, a few blankets, and Cali, and ran for the bathroom. Trevor shut the door hard behind them, but did not lock it.

He got in first, then Cassandra, then Amanda. She held Cali tight to her chest, both of them shaking. Trevor pulled the three blankets he had grabbed from their beds over them, and they huddled close.

He turned the radio on, but Cassandra turned it back off. “I don’t want to hear any more.” He held her tightly, kissed her, and waited for the inevitable.

Outside the wind began to pick up. Things were being banged against the trailer, making them jump. The front door was pulled open. It swung back and forth, tried to stay on the hinges, but could not fight any longer, and both doors were pulled away and flew onto the neighbor’s car.

That was when the siren in town began to sing. Low sad notes that swung into high mournful ones. A warning song.

The bathroom door popped open and banged against the inner wall. Cali squirmed out of Amanda’s arms, and ran out of the bathroom. A large tree branch hit the side of the house, and broke the kitchen window. Cali skirted past the broken glass, almost hitting an open cupboard door. Amanda jumped up, and slid out of the tub. She rushed out of the bathroom after her.

“Mandy!” Trevor called, throwing the blankets off of him and his wife. Cassandra sat up so he could get out. They both hurried after their daughter.

They looked in her room, theirs, the kitchen, and the living room. She was not even in the trailer. As they stood there looking at each other, everything became eerily quiet.

“Oh my God!” Cassandra said, grabbing her husband. “It’s coming.” They both looked out the window. The sky was a nasty gray-green. And there in the middle of the street was their daughter, holding the kitten.

“Mandy, get in here. NOW!” Cassandra yelled from the porch. Amanda only stood there, transfixed. Suddenly a rumble from off in the distance, the sound of a loaded down freight train, came out of nowhere.

“Jesus Christ, look!” Trevor pointed to where route 30 connected to their street. There it was, a twister, and it was headed straight for them.

The wind began to pick up, objects started flying all over. Amanda never moved, the kitten huddled against her chest.

Trevor headed down to get her, when it popped over the trees. He stopped short. He’d never make it in time. “Mandy, come here. Now!”

She saw it, and started up the hill, but something stopped her. It was a loud whistling sound. She turned, looked up, and disappeared under a falling car.

Cassandra screamed, but it was washed away by the roaring tornado. She ran down the porch to the car, but Trevor stopped her. “It’s too late.” He had to yell for her to hear him. Tears were streaming down his face.

“You bastard!” She hit him hard in the face, knocking him to the ground. “You could have saved her!” She ran to the trailer. Trevor stood, and watched her leave.

He ran after her, and made it to the door. “I’m sorry.” That was all he could say. He stopped short. Cassandra turned hard, ready to argue with him, but instead, she screamed again.

What made him stop, was a pole of a street sign that had been rammed into the back of his head and was sticking out of his right eye. Cassandra gasped when he fell forward with a sick thud.

She hit the floor, sobbing hard. The tornado had turned, and was now going down the small alley in front of her trailer.

“Come back here you son of a bitch!” She screamed at its back. “Come and take me!” When it did not come back, she turned to Trevor. She pulled him into the house with much difficulty. She looked out at the upturned car that was ontop of her daughter, and hit the floor, racked with sobs.

When she thought she had regained her composure, she headed for the car, but the wind was too severe, and she was almost hit by a flying tree branch. She rushed back into the house, almost tripping over her dead husband.

She sat down hard on the couch, her face wet with tears. Shock began to overtake her. She was alone for the first time in her 32 years.

That was when she heard the sound of a train passing by. She thought it was another tornado, so she stood to look out the window, but it wasn’t.

The last thing she saw was a train engine flying straight at her face!