Tornado Hits the Ponderosa

By Tennessee

Everything was ready for the dinner party, and everyone was coming. They had asked to the dinner Eli, Ruth, Margaret, Tess, Shelby, Big Dan, and the Goodmans. The Ponderosa looked great with green grass and flowers everywhere. Ben and the boys waited outside.

Adam said, "Pa, I hope it doesn't rain on our party."

"I hope everyone gets here before the food gets cold," said Hop Sing.

Ben thought everyone would arrive soon. Hoss said, "Look at the clouds," and Ben and Hop Sing looked at the sky.

Hop Sing said, "Those are called wall clouds."

"I've never seen clouds like that," Hoss said.

Hop Sing went inside but couldn't stop looking out the window. When Ben came in and saw Hop Sing looking out the window, he asked Hop Sing what he was thinking.

"A bad storm is coming. That's why the clouds look like that."

"But it's so pretty outside. But if you say so, maybe we should move the party inside."

Ben told the boys to take everything back inside. When all the guests got there Ben said hi to everyone. Big Dan pulled Ben aside to talk, and Ben asked Eli and Mr. Goodman to come outside with him. When they got outside Big Dan said, "I seen clouds like them before. A bad storm is coming."

Mr. Goodman agreed. "The wind is getting up, and it's so hot for this time of year."

Eli remarked on the greenish color of the sky and everyone looked up. Adam came outside to go to the barn. "Hey, Pa, look at this," he called. Behind the barn the sky was so dark it looked like nighttime. Ben told Adam to get Hop Sing and Hoss and bring them outside. Hop Sing came out and looked at the sky.

"We have to hurry before the storm hits. First we must tell the women so they can help too. Eli, you tell the women. Adam and Hoss, go and get everything off my bed and yours and put them on the floor."

Eli went inside to tell the women what was happening. "A bad storm is coming and we need to get ready for it."

All the women said, "Let's get started then." Ann and Tess opened all the windows. Little Joe and Sue watched this until Eli told them to help Hop Sing.

The women got Ben's whole bed and took it into the living room. Then they turned the table over in the middle of the floor. Adam and Hoss got Hop Sing's bed and did the same. Margaret said, "We need more on the floor to cover us all when the storm hits." Adam went and got all the quilts he could find. Hoss went to the barn to look for some more quilts they had stored in the barn. Tess and Ann helped them.

Tess said, "Hoss, I love you."

Hoss heard the worry in her voice and replied, "Everything's going to be all right. I'm here with you." He kissed her.

Adam looked at Ann and said, "Are you okay?" She just started to cry. Adam put his arm around her and said, "Ann, honey, we are together, and everything will be all right."

It started to rain real hard, and the wind got to blowing so hard Ann and Tess were holding onto Adam and Hoss. Adam said, "I need to go see Pa and the men for a minute."

Ann said, "No Adam, don't leave me. Please!"

Adam asked Hoss to put his arm around Ann until he returned. Sue was crying and Little Joe said, "Sue please don't cry. Everything is going to be okay."

Hoss said, "You kids come over here by us."

Little Joe said, "Everything will be all right, right Hoss?"

Hoss said, "You two kids just stay right here."

All the men were outside looking at the sky. About that time it started to hail and the hail stones were so big the men the men were stunned. The wind got harder and harder. Then everything was calm. Then all at once the thunderstorms started again, and the wind was so high it moved the wagons.

Ben said, "Adam you better go back inside." About that time Eli saw a funnel cloud. Adam ran into the house and told everyone to take cover now. All the women got behind Ben's bed.

Adam went to where Hoss and the others were. "Hoss, let's all get behind the table and cover ourselves. Little Joe, you get with me and Ann. Sue, you get with Hoss and Tess."

"Where's Pa?" Little Joe asked.

The men were still outside. They saw a tornado rip a tree out of the ground. Ben shouted, "It's headed this way! We better take cover now."

They all ran into the house and closed the door. The guys got behind the boys' beds on the floor and covered themselves. They all heard a loud roar and glass breaking. Tree branches smashed into the house.

They thought it was over. Then the second one hit.

Ben said, "Here comes another one!" All they could here was the loud roar sound again. Ann and Sue's pa looked at them. He took Sue's hand and pulled her toward him. Ben reached for Little Joe's hand and pulled Little Joe to him. The wind was so bad it shattered the windows. All the women were holding hands and crying, except Shelby, who just sat there. Adam held Ann in his arms. Hoss held Tess too. All the men just looked at each other. It was raining hard and more hail was coming down. A piece of glass hit Ben on the leg, and a piece of the barn hit Big Dan's arm.

About ten minutes later the storm died down and the tornadoes were gone. Nobody knew Margaret got hurt too before it was over. Everyone got up. Adam said, "Pa has been hurt."

Ben said, "I'm okay, son. It just cut my leg. Go check on everyone else."

Eli said, "Big Dan is hurt, too."

"A piece of barn hit my arm, but I'm okay."

Adam went to Ann, who was with her ma. "Is everyone okay here?"

"We're fine," the Goodmans answered.

Tess walked over to her ma. "Hoss! Ma is hurt!" Everyone ran to her. "Ma? Ma, are you okay?"

"Something hit me on my back, but I'm okay."

Eli asked if anyone else was hurt and they all said no. The sun was back out. When Ben opened the door they saw many trees down. The barn door was gone. The wagon had been picked up and dropped back down. Tree branches were everywhere. But Ben could replace all of it. He just thanked God nobody was badly hurt. Eli and Big Dan went to town to check and see what the tornadoes did there. Ben went with Mr. Goodman to his ranch to check on it.

When Eli and Big Dan got to town everything was okay. The tornadoes had not hit Eagle Station. The townspeople said they got wind and rain but that was all.

Eli said, "Why don't we go check and see if the tornadoes hit the Greene Ranch." When they got there, they saw the roof needed some repair. At the Goodman ranch everything was fine. The tornadoes had not come that way.

When Ben and Mr. Goodman got back to the Ponderosa everyone was working on cleaning up the mess. Hoss found the barn door and put it back on. Adam put wood over the windows that needed new glass. All the branched that had fallen off the trees was put in the woodpile to burn. Hoss took his ax and cut up all the trees that had fallen. The women warmed Hop Sing's dinner up. Mr. Goodman told his family that their ranch was fine. When Eli and big Dan got back to the Ponderosa they told everyone the town was fine, and they told Margaret her roof needed repair and they and her workers would fix it.

Everyone sat down to eat. Eli said that it seemed the Ponderosa was the hardest hit by the tornado. Ben said, "I'm just glad we are all okay."

After dinner they finished fixing everything. Eli opened the store and got Ben some glass for the windows. The women picked up in the house too. The beds were put back and everything was put away.

When everything was done and it was time for everybody to go home Ben said, "Thank you, my friends. The way we all pulled together when the storm was coming, that was great. And the way you all helped get everything fixed."

Eli said, "That's what friends do, help each other when they need it."

Everyone went home. Ben and the boys talked about how great it is to have friends like that. Ben smiled and said, "Let's all go to bed."

That night Ben dreamed about his friends. Ben's arm had hurt but he cleaned it up. And Big Dan and Margaret were okay, too. He was glad nobody was hurt bad. He had a good night's sleep, thinking about his friends.

The End.