twenty

Gabe stared up at the sky. Black clouds swirled, and the rumble of distant thunder with a flash of lightning intensified nature’s threat. Storms and high winds he could handle, and he’d learned that when it rained, the household items had to be shifted from one side of the cabin to the other—depending on the direction of the rainfall. But the green color spreading across the horizon bothered him.

Glancing at the barn anchored deep into the earth, he wondered if Lena and the boys would be safer there than in the soddy. Although the walls of their home were nearly three feet thick, a twister could still do a lot of damage.

With a heavy sigh, he wished Caleb and Simon were home from school. He focused his attention to the east, straining to see if they were heading this way. Nothing. A gust of wind nearly toppled him over. This is not merely prairie winds, but a malevolent act of nature.

Gabe wondered if he should set the mule and horses free to run with the cattle until after the storm, but if his family were safer in the barn, then those animals would be as well. The cattle were contained in barbed-wire fencing. Of course that could be easily blown down.

With a heavy sigh, he realized they’d had a good spring. The corn stood more than a foot high, and they’d been blessed with ample rain. He hadn’t considered he might lose a crop. Suddenly, all those days of work twisted through him. Lena’s words about the Lord providing for their needs echoed through his ears.

This spring, tornadoes had always managed to venture far from them—until now.

Drenched in sweat, he stepped outside and studied the southwest sky. In a matter of minutes, the temperatures had dropped, and the wind had increased its velocity. Where were Caleb and Simon? Then he saw his sons racing home against a background of a hideous green sky. The closer they came, the better he felt.

Thank You, Lord. I didn’t mind You taking care of them, but I feel much better knowing where they are.

“Gabe,” Lena called from the doorway. “This looks bad, and I’m worried about the boys.”

“They’re coming,” he replied above the wind. “I see them. Are we safer in the barn?”

“I think so.” She scanned the sky, then shouted, “Hurry!” to Caleb and Simon, although Gabe doubted the boys could hear their mother’s call. By the time they’d all scurried into the barn, huge droplets of rain pelted the earth. Ear-splitting cracks of thunder resounded, and jagged streaks of lightning split the sky.

“I saw a twister touch down in the distance,” Caleb managed to say, trying to catch his breath. “Looked to be heading this way.”

Gabe skirted his family to the farthest corner of the barn cradled deep into the hill. He positioned the horses and mule in front of them in case of flying debris. The structure had been built facing the east, which gave him some comfort in their safety. He moved to the opening, seeking some sign of the twister. “It might miss us,” he said, watching the wind tug at the roof of the cabin.

“We’ll know soon enough,” Lena shouted. “Gabe, please don’t stand out there. You don’t have any idea how the wind could snatch you up.”

“I’m being careful.” His gaze fixed southwest to where a dark funnel cloud moved their way. The fury of nature left him in awe. One minute it showered his crops with water and in the next it threatened to beat them to the ground.

As the twister soared across the fields, a roar, like the bellowing of a huge beast, sent a tingle from his neck to his spine. This was not a time to stand outside and challenge the wind. Foolishness invited a loss of life—his own.

“Gabe!” Lena called frantically.

“I’m coming,” he replied, moving back.

Huddled against his family, Gabe listened to the creature spin closer. “I hope all of you are praying,” he said. “Not only for us, but for others in the twister’s path.”

They didn’t reply. His request didn’t warrant one. In the shadows, he couldn’t see the emotion on their faces, but from the way Lena, Caleb, and Simon trembled beneath his arms, he knew fright penetrated their bones.

“Aren’t you afraid, Pa?” Simon whispered shakily.

“Of course I am. But God is in control, and at times like these we have to hold onto our faith.”

“Wish I could see Him,” Caleb said.

“You can, Son. God’s in the quiet summer day, the blizzards last winter, and in the wind outside. Close your eyes, and you can feel Him wrapping His love around you.”

Lena squeezed his hand, and he brushed a kiss across her cheek. “I love you,” she said. “Seems like you always say the right things to make us feel better.”

He forced a chuckle. “I’ll remember that the next time I slip and use those long words you so despise.”

A deafening crash of thunder caused Simon to jump and snuggle closer. “If I had known we all were going to be this close, I’d have taken my bath before Saturday night,” Gabe said.

Caleb giggled. Thank You, Lord, for Your comfort. Keep us in the shelter of Your wings. Peace, be still. Amen.

As ferocious as the storm sounded, the wind finally ceased to howl and left only a steady fall of rain in its wake. Gabe released his family. He was grateful they were unharmed. Now he needed to see what had been done outside. Swallowing hard, he made his way to the front of the barn. Although the rain had continued to fall, the cabin stood with only minor roof damage. He glanced to the fields surrounding them. They looked untouched except for one in the direct path of the tornado. The corn planted there bent to the ground as if paying homage to a wicked wind god, but perhaps the stalks might right themselves in the next few days. Even if that didn’t happen and the field of corn perished, they’d survive.

Sometimes he thought his optimism masked good sense, but he always tried to buffer his decisions with logic. Lead-ing his family was often. . .

Gabe searched for the proper word. Glancing back at the boys, he knew exactly what fit. Hard. Just plain hard. What a relief to know God held the world in the palm of His hand.

He felt Lena touch his shoulder. “Do you suppose we should check on the Shafers?”

He nodded. “I also need to make sure the cattle fared well, but I can do that on the way there. Any chance of the twister changing directions and heading back this way?”

She sighed. “Doubtful, though I’ve seen two touch down in the same day.”

“We’ll wait until the sky clears.” He clasped the hand on his shoulder. “The Shafers’ dugouts are in bad shape. I know Dagget plans to build a soddy once harvest is over.”

“Amanda told me. She’s very excited. Dugouts don’t last much longer than seven years, and Dagget built that one ten years ago.”

“Sure hope the twister didn’t step up his plans,” Gabe said, glancing at the distant sky in the Shafers’ direction. It looked menacing in a mixture of navy and green.

❧

The tornado had laid waste to the dugouts and fencing of Dagget’s farm. From what Gabe could tell, the wind had hit them as if they were a child’s toys.

“Hello!” he called, stepping down from the wagon. “Dagget, it’s Gabe and Lena and the boys.”

A pool of water streaming from the door indicated the inside trench used to keep out the abundance of water had overflowed. What a mess for them to endure.

The door swung open, and Amanda stepped out along with some of her brothers and Mary. “We’re all right,” she called, “but Pa and Charles rode out this morning to check on fences and haven’t returned.”

Gabe’s insides twisted with fear. He didn’t like the sound of those two out in that storm. Dagget had changed considerably since their first encounter. He’d become a caring man and wouldn’t endanger his family. “Which way did they go, Amanda?”

She pointed to the southwest. “That way.”

Lena nudged him. He hadn’t noticed when she’d climbed down from the wagon. “I’ll stay and see what I can do here. Why don’t you go look for them?”

Their gazes met. She obviously felt the same concern he did. “The wagon might be necessary,” he said.

She nodded, her thoughts evident in the lines of her face. “Do you want to take Caleb?”

Gabe studied the growing boy, now twelve years old. In some cultures he’d be considered a man. Still, he’d like to shelter him for as long as possible from the ugliness of the world.

“I’d like to go, Pa,” Caleb said. “I’m nearly as tall as you, and I could help.”

Placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder, Gabe silently agreed. Life’s lessons could be a difficult lot, but he’d rather they occur while Caleb was with him than for the boy to learn on his own.

The sheared path before them looked like someone had taken a razor to the field. To the right, barbed wire stood untouched. Cattle grazed peacefully on their left.

“Do you suppose Mr. Shafer and Charles are dead?” Caleb asked as the wagon ambled on.

Gabe’s heart plummeted. “I don’t know, Son, but we’ll deal with whatever we find. Dagget and Charles know this country, and I’m sure they read the signs of the twister.”

“I remember when my first pa died,” Caleb went on. “He just went to sleep and didn’t wake up.”

I hope if God has taken them home, we don’t find their bodies mangled. A vision of the wolves crossed his mind. He had the rifle. By now the sun shone through the clouds, and the sky gave no hint of rain or the earlier violence. Calm. Peaceful.

Within the hour, Gabe spotted Charles on the trodden grass, bending over his father. “I believe we’ve found them,” he said, breaking the silence.

“Mr. Shafer must be hurt,” Caleb said. “Sure hope he’s all right.”

Gabe merely nodded. Charles had not moved, and he surely had seen and heard the approaching wagon. Once Gabe pulled it to a halt, Charles lifted a tear-stained face.

“Pa’s gone,” he said with a heavy sigh. “We tried to outrun the twister. I didn’t know he’d fallen.”

Gabe surmised what else had happened. “Are you hurt?”

“No, Sir.”

“Can I take a look at your pa?”

Charles swallowed hard. “When I looked back, the twister had picked him up. Then it slammed him into the ground. I thought it had knocked the breath out of him, but his head hit hard.”

As Charles moved aside, Gabe saw the blood rushing from Dagget’s crown. “Caleb, stay in the wagon for now.”

From the looks of him, Dagget had died from the blows to his head. Charles dried his eyes, and together the two lifted Dagget into the back of the wagon while Caleb minded the horses.

Charles said nothing as they drove back to his home. Sorrow etched his young face. Upon sight of his family’s farm, he finally spoke. “He’s been a good pa since last winter. Before that, I don’t know if I’d have grieved so much.”

“Now you have good memories,” Gabe replied softly.

“I want to bury him beside Ma. He missed her terribly.”

“I understand. We’ll get the minister and have a proper burial.”

Charles wiped his nose with his shirtsleeve. “Thank you, Mr. Hunters. You’re a good neighbor.”

Gabe startled at the sight of the minister already there when they arrived. He’d ridden out once the twister blew through.

Odd. Why here at the Shafers? Gabe wondered until he saw the way the man looked at Amanda.

“I should have guessed the reverend would be riding out to check on things,” Charles said. “He’s taken a fancy to Amanda.”

God had already made provision for the Shafers. It appeared to him that Jason Mercer needed that family as much as they needed him.

“Glad you had the foresight to come,” Gabe said, shaking the reverend’s hand.

“I couldn’t let a moment pass without riding out,” he replied. “I had a notion something was wrong.”

The following morning, Gabe, Charles, and Caleb dug the grave for Dagget. The ceremony was short but meaningful to his family. Dagget had died a good man, filling his life with the things that mattered most—God and his family. Little Mary plucked some goldenrods and laid them atop the mound of dirt.

“For you, Pa,” she whispered. “I’ll always love you.”

Lena edged closer to Gabe and took his hand. He felt her body shudder. For the first time he understood why she fretted over him and the boys. Love didn’t stop death, it simply made it harder to say good-bye.

Gabe dipped his pen in the inkwell and wrote his reflections about the tornado, then ended his entry with Dagget’s death.

Dagget was a good friend. Although we didn’t start out this way, the Lord saw fit to bring us together. Lena believes Dagget learned a lot from me, but the truth is he taught me a few valuable lessons. Aside from hunting techniques, which I sorely needed, my friend confided in me about how it felt to love a woman, then lose her. I selfishly pray that when the Lord calls Lena and me home, we go hand in hand. The idea of ever having to part with her sears my soul. And yes, I know God would comfort me, but I’d hate to consider such a separation. This morning as we laid him to rest beside his wife, I wondered if I had thanked him enough for his companionship. Aside from my beloved Lena, Dagget Shafer was my first real friend. God bless him.