Excerpt



As they neared town, her thoughts were stilled as she looked around in disbelief. The roadside was strewn with broken tree limbs, and full trees torn from their roots now obstructed the path in front of them. Shingles, bits of tree bark, and wood splinters littered the ground as well, hindering their progress. As they drew closer to the town ahead, Caitlyn could detect the mingled odors of smoke and moist earth. The combined scent was a constant reminder of the uncertainty that awaited them.

As they entered the town limits, Caitlyn saw a young man running toward them. His shirt and trousers were badly torn, and blood trickled from his face. As he continued to run, he waved his hands in the air as if to halt their approach. In compliance, Mr. Schmidt reined in the horse. Expecting that the man would direct them in which way to go, Caitlyn was surprised when he hurried past them.

Sir, her father called. How are things in New Richmond? How has the town fared?

But the man kept running, and as Caitlyn and her father continued on their way, others ran past them as well. Some wept as they fled town, their clothes and hair covered with mud and debris and streaming with blood. Their faces displayed the obvious horror they had seen, and Caitlyn wondered just how severe the damage was.

She didnt have long to contemplate the matter, for as the horse stepped around piles of rock, bricks, and broken boards, Caitlyn could see that very little remained. Buildings had literally been flattened, windows shattered, and broken plaster seemed to cover everything like a layer of thick dust. Horses whinnied and moved restlessly, hindered by minimal space and heavy debris. Many were still tied to the hitching posts where they had been left before the storm; others were tangled in rope or wire. Caitlyn witnessed one horses struggle to free himself from a mass of telegraph wires, and when his efforts proved futile, he let out a whimper as if in despair.

Main Street, which was earlier filled with eager locals and visitors, was now almost unrecognizable. Wooden beams and bricks were strewn everywhere, the roadway a mass of mud, standing water, and unidentifiable objects that had been tossed about by the storm. Despite the recent downpours, black smoke billowed over the heavily damaged structures, orange flames licking at the displaced remnants of walls and roofs. Screams shattered the eerie calm that had settled over the town. Men hurried about, struggling to lift heavy beams from those trapped beneath collapsed buildings, while women stood shivering in their rain-soaked clothing, looking on as they gathered their children close.

Caitlyn tried to determine where they were, what buildings they were passing, but every previous landmark had been dashed into pieces and flattened into the ground. She managed to identify the church her family attended, and she was relieved to see that damage to the structure was not significant. Several yards past the church, she saw the church bell in the middle of the street, now free of its tower and layered with mud, wood splinters, and other debris.

Help! Someone please help me!

Caitlyn startled at the sound of the masculine screams. She was unable to see the man, but she could hear his cries with distinct clarity as they echoed in the still air. Up ahead, flames glowed in a demolished structure, and then she saw him the owner of the pleading cries. Only his head was exposed amidst the shards of glass, shavings of wood, and scattered brick. The fire blazed fiercely mere inches from his trapped form, and Caitlyn shuddered as she heard his voice again.

My leg! My leg! he screamed.

Three men struggled to lift a fallen chimney from the mans body, which only caused his cries of pain to increase in frequency and volume. The chimney was removed, but even so, the man continued to cry out, saying that his leg was trapped under something heavy. The men that had come to his aid hurried to free him of the cumbersome debris, but Caitlyn could tell that time was quickly running out. She watched as the hungry flames steadily devoured everything around him, inching closer to his helpless form.

Just cut it off! The mans desperation tore at Caitlyns heart as he pleaded for his life. He would rather they amputate his leg than leave him to the mercy of the flames. She leaned against her fathers back as sudden tears brimmed in her eyes. She was powerless to help the man, and as his cries to be freed came once more, she closed her eyes at the realization that the mans entrapment was sure to lead to imminent death.

His rescuers persisted, but as the flames increased in intensity, the men began to desert, the fire consuming what was left of the structure. The mans cries were swallowed as the entire building was engulfed. Caitlyn couldnt prevent the tears that spilled from her eyes. If only they had been able to save him in time!