While the boys were laughing and talking, Tom sneaked away to a shed where construction materials were stored. He was looking for something he might use in a practical joke. Surprisingly the door was unlocked. Becky and Miranda saw Tom sneak away and go into the shed, but said nothing.
The shed was dark, and Tom didn’t know where the battery powered lamps were. He bumped into a barrel in the dark and knocked it over. He lit a match and held it high so he could see the interior of the shed. The flame burned near his fingers, and, without thinking, he shook his hand and dropped the match. Not finding anything he wanted, he reached for the door handle. An ear-splitting blast shot the shed apart. The powder he had knocked over exploded and fames covered the area. The fire spread rapidly.
The force of the blast knocked some of the children down who were standing nearby. The dogs jumped and ran away in fright, except Greatheart who had been thrown off balance. She went scrambling as hard as she could, on her side, toward the flames. Greatheart was the only one who had heard the surprised scream.
Tim staggered up in time to see his precious dog just a few feet from the flames and looking as if she were going to run into them. “Greatheart,” he screamed. “Come, girl. Tom! Tom, where are you?” Tim ran after Greatheart shaking off the boys who were trying to hold him back.
“Tim! Don’t be stupid. You’ll be killed.”
Tim grabbed for Greatheart’s collar while trying to shield his face from the heat. She growled and snapped at him. “Hey, girl. Are you hurt? You wouldn’t be mad at me if you were okay.”
“Tim,” Miranda yelled. “I saw Tom go into the shed before it exploded. I think he’s still in there.”
Parents and neighbors were running, parents frantically calling for their own child. Greatheart’s whimpers turned to howls as her fur began to sizzle. Her feet were on burning boards, but she continued to struggle forward. Herb ran to Tim.
“Dad! I think the blast scrambled her brains.”
Greatheart stuck her nose in a hot spot and grabbed something in her teeth. She braced on her injured feet and pulled as hard as she could. Tim was shocked to see part of a coat sleeve in her mouth with a human hand.
“Tom!” he yelled. “Dad!” It’s Tom.”
The fire was too hot to allow the men to get closer. Too, they didn’t know if more powder would explode. A man ran up with a twenty feet pipe. The man placed the pipe over some barrels and used the pipe as a fulcrum to lift the burning boards. As the boards came up, Greatheart got a firmer hold on what she was pulling. She kept backing and pulling until the top half of Tom was visible. Herb and Causuc ran in and pulled Tom out.
Tom’s hair was singed and his face burned. Most of his clothes had burned and was sticking to his skin. His skin was red and one arm, thigh and side were badly burned. An ambulance came and quickly took the unconscious Tom to the hospital.
Neighbors carefully scooped the brave, loyal Greatheart on a blanket and lovingly carried her to a jeep and then to the clinic. Even though she was hurt, she kept whimpering and trying to get to Tom. Herb and Irene went with Tim while Anna and Tim stayed with Greatheart.
Greatheart had burned fur, burned feet and one badly bruised, burned shoulder. The doctor cleaned her with antiseptics, removed much of the burned fur that would come loose, wrapped salve and gauze around her and gave her a shot to make her rest and sleep. She needed sleep and time to heal. She would probably have a scar on her shoulder, but she was healthy and would heal far quicker than Tom.
After what seemed like a lifetime, two doctors came to talk to Herb and Irene. “Your son is resting, and naturally he’s sedated. His hair and eyebrows will possible grow back, and the burns over his body will heal with time. He has a deep burn on his thigh and right side which will require grafting. He’ll be a mighty sick boy for months. Be patient and keep his spirits up. The will to get better can help him heal more than most medicines.”
Adam Perkins, supervisor of construction, visited to check on Tom. “I sure am thankful that we had used most of the explosives. There wasn’t much left or that whole section of town would have gone up. Why was Tom in there?”
“We don’t know yet,” Herb answered. “He hasn’t come to long enough to talk. Too, we didn’t want to upset him while he is still so sick. It’s only been two days.”
Adam shook his head in sadness. “I blame myself. I’ve always kept that door locked and I don’t know why it was unlocked this time. Two girls said they saw him open the door and walk in.”
“Please don’t blame yourself. I’m sorry but our Tom would have found some way to get into trouble.”
Tim walked around almost constantly rubbing his chest as if it hurt. His heart ached for Tom. A brother could be close, but twins were a part of each other. What one felt, the other usually felt.
The Jacksons decided to not celebrate Christmas, but Tom made them promise to go to the Community Center. Everyone was concerned about Tom and were glad that Greatheart was getting better. When people asked about Tom and why he went into the shed, his family was embarrassed. “Tom has always been our adventuresome rascal,” Herb smiled sadly.
The new year rushed in with a blizzard. January seemed to creep by with strong, cold winds and below freezing temperatures. Herb got permission to take Greatheart to see Tom one day. The dog had to be held up so that she could see Tom and hold her face next to his. She tried to jump on the bed to get closer, but could not be allowed to do so. She was obviously glad to see Tom and he was feeling better after her visit.
Finally, during the second week of February, Tom was allowed to come home. Greatheart was ecstatic to have her family together again. The following week, the family, and close friends, surprised Tom with a delayed Christmas celebration. There was a tree, gifts, special food and the works.
Anna and Irene tutored Tom so that he could catch up with his school work.
“I don’t know what I would do without Anna,” Irene told Herb. “She is going to make an excellent teacher and will be a great mother. She is so compassionate, patient and dependable.”
The second week of March, Tom was allowed to return to classes. He was warned about wrestling, or any rough play, because of his skin grafts which were still sensitive.
All three Jackson children had always been on the top honor roll, but for some reason the twins’ grades began to slip. Instead of A, they were getting Bs and once in a while a C. Herb offered to let them fly to Virginia for a vacation if they would bring their grades up and apply themselves. Tom was despondent and Tim was sorry for Tom.
In April Anna celebrated her seventeenth birthday with a cake and a special dinner with her family. She assured them she didn’t expect anything else. She did receive a watch from her parents and slips of paper from her brothers. On each slip was a promise to do something nice and useful for two weeks. They offered to make her bed, clean her room, take her turn washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen and anything she was expected to do. All of the promises were useful and welcome.
Daniel took Anna, with some friends, ice skating. Irene asked Daniel to keep it a secret from Anna but to bring her and the crowd back home for ice cream and cake. She was surprised and so touched that she shed a few tears when she opened the lovely gifts her friends brought. Many of them were hand-made.
In May the twins asked only that they invited a few close friends for dinner and a quiet day with family for their fifteenth birthday. Afterward the group went to the movies. Tom was continuously cautioned about being too active.
Irene sighed with relief when the boys walked away from the house. “I think our boys are finally maturing completely. Tom’s accident really jolted him to awareness of the results of his irresponsible behavior.”
“Children do grow up, but with love, and good, firm training they’ll never really leave us. Remember Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Oh, of course our children will move away to work or live somewhere on their own. They’ll eventually have their own home and raise a family, but they’ll come back to us because they know how much they’re loved and they love us, too.” Herb stated and hugged Irene.
While the boys were walking to the movies, Tom sheepishly apologized for his behavior on the day of the explosion. “I’ll never play a practical joke again. I’m so thankful I was the only one hurt and none of you had to suffer for my craziness. I’ve been upset enough that Greatheart got hurt because of me. I’m just thankful the damage was no worse.”
His friends assured him that he was still their friend and they were also glad that he had learned a valuable lesson. His injuries also taught them a valuable lesson.
Finally school was over for the year. The first week of July Anna and the twins flew to Virginia for a short visit. There was one sad little dog left behind. If she had been able to understand what was happening, she would have been proud of her children. The twins were again making top grades.
The time passed too quickly for the children. They were back in Alaska with suntans, loads of gifts and lots to tell. Greatheart was so thrilled to see them that she jumped as high as their faces to give them doggie kisses.
Benji, Sam, Charlie, Alan and other children, who had traveled, were home again. Their biggest discussion was the coming school year.
Anna was now a senior in high school and the twins were in the tenth grade. For the first time in their lives the twins had divided interests. Tim became absorbed in the science lab and thought he might like to be a family doctor. Tom was interested in oceanography. Anna continued to plan on being a teacher, specializing in art.
School opened and everyone was glad to be with friends and favorite teachers. The twins were on a basketball team and loved sports.
In November, the worst blizzard the people could ever remember blew in. Driving home was a nightmare as Herb gripped the steering wheel and prayed. He recognized that he had to take a snowmobile from now on. Thankfully he pulled into his driveway as close to the porch as he dared. He hunkered deep inside his parka and braced for the frigid blast of the arctic air that pummeled his frozen cheeks. He pushed and staggered against the wind as he made a slow way to the back door. He hesitated to open the garage door against the wind and blowing snow. He didn’t feel like cleaning out a garage.
“Herb, darling, I’m so relieved you’re home. All I’ve heard today on the short wave radio is that this is the worst storm for nearly fifty years. Thankfully the children were dismissed early and are home safely.”
The storm didn’t stop the community from planning another Thanksgiving dinner together. The new families were made to feel welcome and part of the group.