One Stormy Night

Anna stood looking off into the distance sitting atop her horse, Chocolate. Daydreaming her pa would call it, if he saw her now. But Anna called it so much more. She had dreams, she just never shared them. Mainly, because at eighteen, Anna, should be planning her wedding this year. But after the tornado ripped through the small Amish community last year, nearly fifteen were killed. Including Anna’s boyfriend Seth. Now all Anna had were lost plans and a sad reminder when she walks past the remains of the farm they had bought. A crack of thunder brings Anna to the present, and she nudges Chocolate homeward, beating the rain by mere seconds. In the barn, Anna removes the bridle and brushes Chocolate as the farm cats mill around waiting for her attention. “Anna”, calls momma, “it’s time to come in.” “Yes, momma!” Anna calls back as she leads Chocolate to his stall. Promising the cat’s attention tomorrow Anna heads out into rain and mud for the house. It was time for supper and preparing for bedtime. But Anna knew that sleep would come much later in the morning hours, once she’d went over the past one more time. Anna helped momma prepare the meal, sat at the table with her two younger sisters and younger brother, ate in the silence then cleaned the dishes as momma sat with pa in the sitting room. It was the same every evening. Afterwards she ushered the children off to clean up and bed. Tomorrow was a new day, another work day for her in town, and another day to know Seth was never coming for her. After Anna finished her chores, she stepped out on the large porch to listen to the lingering thunder shower. Staring out in the dark she didn’t hear papa approaching. He gently laid his hand on her shoulder and she heard him sigh deeply before speaking. “Anna, you know the good Lord had more plans for all the people we lost.” “Ya, papa. I know.” After a few silent moments papa walked away toward the barn. She knew he was doing one last check of the animals before bed. Anna slipped away up the stairs to her room. As Anna lay in bed, listening to her parents readying themselves for bed and slowly heard the house fall into quiet as everyone was sleeping, she began her nightly ritual of remembering. The day of Friday, June 10 dawned a beautiful morning. Light wind was blowing but the sun was high and the heat that day promised to increase steadily. Anna Goldenmeyer, 17, worked in town for a wholesale store. The radio playing in the background told of the predicted weather that day of severe storms that would roll through the beautiful countryside of Logan county, Kentucky. No one really worried about the weather in Logan, storms came and went some severe with wind and lightning but everyone knew it was as the good Lord wanted, so Anna went on about her day. Around noon was Anna’s lunchtime, and as usual on Fridays, Anna’s beau Seth came to join her for lunch. As they sat out under the oak tree in the back of the store and shared the lunch Anna had got up early to fix that morning, they talked of their plans of marriage in the next year. Seth had already secured the farm the Fullers had sold when they moved away. He was steadily sending payments each month to their new address in Indiana. Seth was also making repairs in the house and Anna was sewing the curtains for the windows. They talked of their dreams of making it a dairy farm and of the children they wanted. Once lunch was over Anna returned to her job and Seth to his. Seth Morgan, 21, had his eyes only for Anna for several years. He knew she was the only one for him and it hadn’t took much persuasion cause Anna truly loved him just as much. They made a dashing couple and everyone could see how they looked at each other and knew it wouldn’t be long before the announcement of the wedding came. Seth wanted a home for Anna before that day came so he took a job outside town at the mill. It was long hard days but he forever had Anna on his mind and knew it was worth it to have her as his happy wife. But Seth wouldn’t set a day until he had secured a home for Anna. Once he bought the Fuller farm they made their wedding plans. Quitting time was 5:00 for Seth but Anna left the store at 3:00 to go home for helping her mama do the milking and readying for supper. She rode her bike by the market to pick up the few things mama had ask her to get that morning. She rode past the mill going home, waving and smiling at Seth on her way. As Anna rode past an English neighbor, Mrs. Lewis, was getting out of her car and called to Anna. “Anna, there’s been a report on the radio of a tornado heading forLogan county.” “Thank you Mrs Lewis it won’t take me but about five minutes to be home, I’ll hurry!” “Get underground with your family, Anna!” Mrs Lewis said as she hurried to get her children in the basement. Anna rode quickly home, seeing mama and papa watching the sky as she rode up. Another neighbor had drove by their homes announcing the impending tornado. As she joined her parents on the porch, the storm clouds were rolling in. In minutes the faint sound of tornado sirens could be heard from town three miles away. Papa got mama by the hand, “let’s go to the root cellar.” Inside their home Anna and mama ushered the kids into the root cellar through the drop door in the kitchen floor, papa coming down last and fastening the door from the inside. What seemed like hours later but in reality was only 45 minutes at most, the tornado had passed over. Anna’s family had heard the sounds of the storm and the wind, but other than a few loose shingles their home was untouched. The yard was littered with debris and the animals and the barn had faired well with just nervousness among the animals. Within minutes sirens from police cars were passing by their homes. An English neighbor pulled in to the yard to share news from town. It was in that moment that Anna’s world came crashing down. The mill had taken a direct hit, there was at least ten fatalities as the workers were huddled in a room to ride out that storm. But the room was totally destroyed along with the mill. The neighbor didn’t know who but knew it did include some Amish and the police were in route to tell those families. Anna ran to the barn grabbed Chocolate and rode the two miles to Seth’s parents home for news. Anna topped the hill and saw the flashing lights in the driveway. She knew it was Seth and there was no reason for confirmation as she saw the bent heads of his ma and pa. Anna turned her horse and rode away. Rode away to the farm that belonged to Seth. She tied Chocolate to the fence climbed the steps Seth had repaired to the porch. Sat down with her back to the new door, pulled her knees to her chest and there she wept until her papa found her later that night. Even now those tears still fall as she lay here in bed.