That night Collin lay restless as the storm fought against the sides of the little white and green clapboard shack. Thinking to himself he tried to gauge the severity of the situation. The forecasters had only predicted a minor tropical storm, but they had said that about the earlier two storms in the last few weeks, which turned into Category I hurricane's and had dropped almost 12 inches of rain. "Rain", he thought, "I can't handle any more rain".
Around 4:30 that morning he awoke to a strong clap of thunder. Startled he got up to use the bathroom and flipped the light switch, no power. "Oh great", Collin growled. As he leaned over the sink to wash the perspiration off his face, the floor under his feet felt slippery, almost slimy wet. Collin thought maybe he had left the window open, but no, everything was closed. As he leaned down he felt the vent covering and was startled by the water that was pushing through the floor of his little clapboard shack. Immediately he hurried toward the kitchen and the front door.
As Collin opened the front door water rushed in uninvited over his feet. The water poured in through the door like a dam that had just busted. What Collin didn't realize at that moment is a levy had swelled and busted. The cotton fields were now an ocean, the highway a memory, and the neighbors in the small North Carolina community of Princeville alone in an ocean that came from no where.
He immediately ran back for his wife Kelli and there little girl Meg. He had to find a way to get them out of this place. The place he had dragged them to for his work, to study cotton plants and insecticides.
Collin leaped back away from the door and ran down the hall. He threw on the stained work paints and broken in boots and a simple white t-shirt. He needed to find safety for his family. Right now that was looking like the top of his house. As Collin tried to calm Kelli's screams, Meg asked for her kitten. "Daddy, Daddy, I need to find Patches." A single tear slipped across Collin's face and he scooped Meg up and ran for the door. He transferred his daughter to his wife and began to swim.
Collin swam for the road across his little lawn that was now the ocean. He fought the current to get to the truck which he hoped would provide a rescue for his family. He knew that Kelli would never be able to fight this flooding current and hold onto Meg at the same time. He needed to find a way. Any way to get them away from the once beautiful acres and acres of white fluffy cotton.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6037817/
Joe, in a world of information overload and a desensitization of tragedies, you made it personal. In a given day we see and hear so much the article you referenced would not have stood out to me other than some town was flooded. But your blog allowed me to pause for a moment and connect with real people involved. It was very easy to put myself Collin's shoes and imagine the scenario as it unfolded, the responsibility he felt for his family especially since they were only there because of his occupation and ofcourse as the head of his family he was trying to do his best to provide. And now tragedy had struck, what other thoughts went through his head I can only imagine and since you left the end of the story open it allows me to speculate if every one survived and how their lives will be forever changed. Thank you for the pause.
ReplyDeleteJoe this was truly an emotional story. You left me wanting more. It is so surreal and just causes us to sit back and not take life for granted. The news has been filled with so many catastrophes lately that this could easily happen here in Oklahoma. Who would have thought that the recent flooding in Edmond would have ever happened three years ago or even a year ago. Here in Oklahoma recently we have been hit by ice storms, flooding, hail damage, tornados and earthquakes. What else is left but maybe a mudslide? Reading your story was so moving about a man that was there for his family and trying his best to protect them. He was so unselfish and heroic that I was proud of this man myself. I still want part two of your story.
ReplyDeleteExtra Credit Response to Joe Lewis Unit 1 Blog
ReplyDeleteJoe,
Wow! Talk about being "swept up" in a story [if you'll pardon the pun]. You did a good job of creating a visualization of what being in that shack would have felt like. Unfortunately for us folks in Oklahoma, we've had very bad flooding here as well. This story really hit home, and hard.
Being a military brat, I unfortunately also know what it feels like to be in a hurricane! All those memories of Hurricane Fredrick [Biloxi, Mississippi] immediately rushed back.
I must admit, many good writers end stories with cliffhangers, but personally they drive me crazy! I have to know what happened! Did they make it? What about the kitty? Was the truck there? The ending was done in the perfect "cliffhanger" fashion: lots of unanswered questions.
I only caught one usage error (there instead of their).
Enjoyed it!
Dayna Clark