Gulch

It's a Twister!

It was only when Almira Arrived at her home that she realized that her basket was unoccupied.  She knew instantly what had been done and railed against Hunk in her anger.  "Oh!"  She screamed aloud in her solitude, "That spindle-shanked, rubber-jointed, big-nosed, flat-footed, numb-sculled, bone-headed, hatchet-faced, idiotic, moronic excuse for a farmhand!" 

She also used some other words which she would never have said in public and which I have the delicacy not to put down in writing.

After getting some of her anger out, she turned to go back out of her house. The farmhands had interfered with the law. Although she had no proof that Hunk had freed Toto, she could still threaten. Maybe it would get them turned out of the farm.

Mounting her bicycle, she began to pedal back towards the Gale's home. After a while, she happened to look up at the sky and stopped dead. The clouds hanging low in the horizon were a dark, almost green color.

Almira had lived in Kansas her whole life; she knew certain signs. For once, she ignored them. Biting her lip in fury she pedaled faster. The air was deathly still as she flew down the road, her black dress billowing out behind her. Nothing was going to deter her from her mission. Then, the wind began. Howling over the planes, it came tearing and rending towards the Gale's farm. Far off, the calumnious sky became still darker as the clouds began to move towards the ground.

Miss Gulch reached her destination in time to see Hunk and Hickory running about in the yard.

"Hunk!" Henry cried, emerging suddenly from the house, "get them horses loose! Hickory, check on the pigs, clouds that color can only mean one thing—"

As Hickory sprinted off and Hunk scrambled towards the barn, Zeke came hurtling down the path, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Henry!" He hollered, "It's a twister! Just spotted down the way! And it's coming our way!"

Almira realized suddenly that she had made a big mistake. She couldn't get back to her house in time. She hesitated. Maybe the Gale's would allow her into their storm cellar. The thought was thrust away in another instant. There was no way she would be asking for help.

Emily came around the barn and began to yell for Dorothy, but Almira couldn't have cared less at that moment what had happened to that girl. At least, she didn't have any reason to. She hated the Gales. And yet, as she heard the frantic voice of the aunt, her stone-encased heart felt a twinge for Dorothy. But it was only a twinge. In another moment, the Gale's and their farmhands had bundled into their storm cellar without Dorothy and Almira had begun peddling for her life through the wind.

After riding for a minute, she glanced behind her to see where the tornado was, and saw a tiny figure in the distance. It was Dorothy running towards her house. Miss Gulch then gave up any hope she had of possibly getting away from the twister by riding away from it. Turning back the way she had come, she frantically searched for a shelter of some sort. Thinking of the Gale's barn, she made her way to it.

Staggering in the blustery conditions, she tried the barn door. It was locked and chained. She whirled around, panicked, and saw the tornado nearing the farm. It was over for her.  She sank down against the door of the barn and curled into a ball.

"Nina!" She cried in despair, "oh, Nina! I'm sorry! I should have listened to your advice! Been more kind... like you were... you may have been right after all about there-there being a God. If you were... oh! Let him save me now! I promise I'll leave the Gale's alone! All of them! Even the little girl and her dog! Just save me!"

Her strength failed her and she slipped into a stupor.

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