Apple Creek Winds

The spring of 2007 was a strange one weather wise very cold then blustery warm almost day to day. The weather played havoc on the destruction of the freezer plant after two years of work it seemed to be going at a snails pace. The silos of stored Freon gas were still standing full with a mountain of work to go already overdue. The main pole building was rushed along the previous week by an unforecasted windstorm that blew it over like a pile of toothpicks. They drive by Marty thought of all his friends who worked there pitying them for this change in their lives. Everyday passers by on the State Route could document progress of the deconstruction. This made for a great subject at the euchre tables. Due to an EPA forced shutdown the Kalt Manufacturing Company closed its doors only three years before. This created a windfall of some 250 employees forced to find new careers. The twenty-acre facility creating commercial freezers and refrigerators helped put the city on the map. It was May third when Marty meeting Sara and Laurie at the house after work came a exceedingly gustful day when even Marty’s ’98 Ford 150 kept getting blown from one lane to the other. This had been going on all Spring so no second thought was given to it. Many roofs had been removed by the wind from the strange direction of the near by village of Apple Creek and it was not uncommon for Marty to dodge pieces of them on the road during his commute lately. Marty came to the house after the two girls who had just returned from the grocery store with Marty’s favorite food: Taco’s. Marty’s mind was set on the trip to the camper that they had waited all Spring to use when while getting out of his truck he looked to the west and saw pitch black in the distance. Having never seen a sky this way and from this direction, he stood and marveled watching the clouds race and a hum in the air that was totally un-familiar to him. except for tornado stories on the TV this was all new then the reality hit. Marty quickly hollered downstairs to the girls: "c’mon get in the car and you two bee-line it to your mom’s house and hit the basement. You’ll have time if you stand on it a bit". They rushed outside and turned white as they looked to the west. "Why can’t we ride it out here"? Marty shot back:"you know this house won’t take one of those, now give me a kiss and I’ll be right behind you I want to grab some goodies just in case they get blown away". Sara with a look of loss in her eyes turns to Marty"Baby don’t be too long"! Marty smiles and puts his hands on her shoulders while Laurie as if it is no large issue sits in the car " If it’s my time or yours we can’t stop it now can we? It’ll take more than a tornado to knock me off". Sara still with that look now behind the wheel backs up to drive away blows a kiss to Marty as Marty winks as she drives away. Now that the car is out of danger Marty has not noticed the black clouds are moving over him like gangbusters.