Week 11 Story: When the Earth Shakes
Some time had passed. Minutes, hours, it was impossible to know exactly how long, but some time had definitely passed, and there were no signs that they would be rescued any time soon. Hannah held her son tightly and thought back to the moments right before it hit.
"Sleep well, I love you," she said as she placed a kiss on her son's forehead.
"I love you too," replied little Ollie, closing his eyes and turning on his side.
Hannah walked to the door and flipped the light switch. She looked at her son's sleeping face once more and was about to walk away when she heard it. A roaring sound that would stop anyone right on their tracks. Whoever has experienced a strong earthquake knows, you usually hear it before you feel it. That night, the roar was so distinct that each and every hair in Hannah's body stood up in a matter of seconds, and she knew what was about to come.
"Mommy I'm scared," Ollie's voice snapped Hannah right back to reality.
"Shh shh, I know baby, I know," she stroked his hair and tried rocking him. "Everything will be alright." Hannah tried to make her words sound convincing, but her voice quivered and she wasn't quite sure who she was trying so hard to convince, whether her son or herself.
Mother and son were cooped up under Ollie's tiny childbed. When the earth started shaking Hannah barely had time to react before she felt the roof about to collapse. She grabbed her son still wrapped in his blanket and ducked underneath the bed with him. Seconds later, Ollie's room was gone, replaced by gravel and debris, trapping them where they laid.
"What if no one ever finds us?" the boy's eyes watered with fear and Hannah had to fight the urge of crying right along with him.
"No baby, don't say that... how about I tell you a story, huh?" she tried to put on a brave smile. "Do you think that would help?" Ollie nodded.
"Let's see..." Hannah thought back on the thousands of stories that her grandparents told her when she was a kid. She scanned her memory for the perfect one to make her son feel better, and only one came to mind.
"Have I told you the story of how the earth was created?" Ollie shook his head. "Well, this is the story of how the earth grew on a turtle's back and how every time it has to stretch its legs, the entire earth shakes."
Author's Note: This was quite sad and fun to write. The original story I based this on is a myth that explains the creation of the earth according to the Wyandot people of Quebec. The story explains that people originally lived in the sky, but one day they dug up around the roots of a tree and broke the sky's floor. This caused a woman to fall through the hole down to the water underneath. The animals then met in a council to find a piece of earth to build an island. A toad was able to dive down and retrieve some grains of the earth which were then rubbed on Big Turtle's shell to make an island which then grew and grew to form the earth. Now, when there are earthquakes, it is because Big Turtle is stretching his legs. My story is then based on this idea of Big Turtle stretching and causing the earth to shake, but I wanted to tell the story from the perspective of those affected by the earthquake. The bit about hearing the roar of the earth is true by the way, in my home town (Caracas) there are a lot of earthquakes, and the strong ones can always be heard before they hit, it's honestly terrifying.
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| How to React During an Earthquake in WikiHow |
Hola Anto!
ResponderEliminarI love that you took a new spin on this story. I read the British North America unit, too, and this was one of the most interesting stories in that unit. I was actually intimidated by the idea of trying to retell it, so good job for doing this! The story doesn't address how the people living on the turtle's back are actually affected by the situation, and I really appreciate that you took that untold perspective on. This is obviously a sad and scary situation for the mother and child, but I like to think that by the time the mother finished telling her story, they were able to be rescued. It's also a great idea to bring your real experience of the earthquakes in Caracas into this. It makes it feel more real and more frightening. Bien hecho!
buenos dias!
ResponderEliminari like how you integrated your own experience with earthquakes into the story. as a child growing up i could never fathom not having a parent there with my when there was a tornado or some other big emergency. having her mother comfort her and tell her that everything was going to be alright was a powerful line.
Hi Anto,
ResponderEliminarI really enjoyed your story. It was very detailed and easy for the reader to picture exactly what was going on. Poor Ollie, he must have been so scared especially if he had never encountered an earthquake. Also, great picture that you chose to go along with the story. They had a terrified look on their faces, which I imagine was very similar to the face that Hannah and Ollie must have had. Just like all of your other stories, this one did not disappoint.