A Storm Connection

This was supposed to be a typical day for Janet. Her day to day work at the Community Clinic was rewarding, but at times very routine. Janet was not a routine person. She liked to shake things up in her life, but being in need of a steady income she took this job so she wouldn't be dependent on other people or agencies.

She enjoyed the people she worked with and all the patients that came in. And since Snowtown was a small community, she knew just about everyone, and everyone knew her. The weather was always constant, and usually predictable. Hot summers and cold winters. Spring showers, and fall colors.

However, she was soon to find out as was the entire town, that that would soon change.

Janet rarely would watch the news or weather reports. "Just look at the sky", she would say. Or "the news is depressing and redundant".

So needless to say she wasn't aware of what the weather report said was a rare weather pattern that could produce a lot of rain.

But knowing Janet, even if she heard it, she probably would have dismissed it as just a guess with no basis. Besides the sky looked clear with a few white clouds.

But by afternoon this particular day, that was about to change in a hurry. Clouds began to turn gray and black, and the winds started picking up. Now they have seen rain obviously but, this was happening very quick. Needless to say, people started listening. That is except Janet. Skeptical and stubborn, she chose to walk to the clinic that day not thinking about the weather. "Come on people, its just some rain". Except this was different. Not only was the clouds black, the wind picking up, but Jack at the hardware store said he say lightening in the distance as he was cleaning up the back of his store. Janet thought he was mistaken. Couldn't be. We have never had lightening and thunder before that she remembered. But as she turned the corner to walk to the clinic, she heard the first booms of thunder. And as she turned to look in the general direction of the sound, she saw something that had only been seen in a movie.

This cloud was forming a funnel. And to add to the issue, the town had now sirens to warn people of any impending tornado patterns.

Suddenly, her attitude changed from being skeptic to some fright.

She ran into the one of the open stores on the block with noticeable fear, trying to get Mr. Mauldins attention, who managed the jewelry store and knew Janet very well. You see she was his niece.

Him and Janets dad was brothers. And were very close before her dads death several years ago. Since then Mr. Mauldin really looked after Janet a lot. Her mom died when Janet was little, so she really had no family other than Mr. Mauldin.

Mr. Mauldin knew Janet well, and this was the first time that when he saw actual fear in her eyes. She got him to go outside and showed him the clouds and the sound. He didn't waste any time.

"Get inside and down to the basement". He began to go to shops nearby warning people. He knew soon that this rare storm was going to do some damage. And as the rain began to fall, so did hail and lightening and very loud thunder.

Shop owners knew they didn't have time to board windows; just time enough to hunker down somewhere and hope and pray the storm would pass quickly.

However, this wasn't quick. Winds started wailing with the driving rain and thunder that rattled windows. Down in the basement Janet knew she was safe, but now her curiosity was kicking in. She wanted to see what was going on. And while her Uncle was getting people safe somewhere, Janet found a back door to the back of the store. What's the harm she thought. So the rain is hard. I want to see what is going on. The power was already shut off, so she was in the dark with little light to find her way up the stairs to the door. But Janet was determined, and stubborn perhaps. She had never seen a storm of this nature, figured it would pass and so she stealthily made her way up the stairs to the door. But just as she reached for the door the twister swung through nearly blowing the door off and fell a tree right in front of the door.

She was trapped now and didn't know where her uncle was. Was he ok? was he hurt? She finally made her way back down to the basement floor and huddled in a corner. On the shelf was a flashlight that she got to turn on so she could at least see a few things like a mouse in the corner a spider web that blew off the window outside. The windows had bars on them, although amazing none were broken.

For the first time, she was really scared. She didn't know what to do. She managed to find a refrigerator that her uncle used for food for him. Inside were some veggies and mayo. And she was hungry to add to all the rest.

As she munched, she closed her eyes and prayed that she would get out and be able to find her uncle, when she heard a distinct noise from the other side of the basement. She couldn't find the source or see it, which added to her fear. Is someone else in here? So much went through her mind, and finally decided to holler out whether anyone heard her or not.

"help, I am trapped in here". Afte"Thr a few seconds, a faint but distinct voice was heard. "No you aren't. Janet knew that voice. The voice of her uncle, but where was he?

She slowly shined her light toward the front steps and say this figure under the steps by the safe. "You will be fine. Get over here by me. Its about over and the worst has passed. We will stay here until the wind subsides more then we can get out and see the damage.

She was never so glad to hear a voice like that in her life. She found her way over to Mr. Mauldin and hugged tighter than ever.

"I am sorry for being so skeptical about this". "That's ok he said".

"You are safe, and thats the main thing".

The two of them made their way out to survey to damage, and thankfully, it wasn't unrepairable for the stores. While there was some damage, it can be fixed. Thankfully, noone was seriously injured.

From this point on the town saw a change in Janet. She wasn't as skeptical or cynical. She became more connected with people and less cynical. People began to see a kinder friendlier Janet and her job at the clinic was never mundane from then on.