Blue Bay Lane

The weather today is sticky. It usually is this time of year, but today is oppressive. As might be expected living in a town surrounded by water. Well, Minnesota wasn't called "Land of 10,000 Lakes" for nothing. But despite the humidity, I'm in good spirits. Even jovial, perhaps. The first week after school gets out is always the sweetest. And everyone in town seems to agree. Even the flowers seem brighter. Walking along, I remember not having plans to go anywhere. I decide to go to the lake. Seems logical in this kind of heat. My favorite is the small lake just north of Tustin Lake. It has some trees wrapped around it, and foxgloves grow beneath them. I sit beneath the trees and just look around, appreciating the scenery.

I find myself being awoken by shouting, barking, and honking. Sitting up with a start I see a boy my age, a big black dog, and several geese. The boy is trying to hold the dog back, and the geese are flapping their wings and honking at the dog, making it angrier. I decide to help out. I pick up a few small stones and open fire on the geese, enough to scare them off, but not injure them. They seem to take a hint, and fly off. I approach the boy and the dog, though staying back a few feet, just in case the dog decides to treat me like a goose. He catches his breath then says, "Thanks."

"No problem." 

Reaching out a hand, he says, "I'm Daniel and this is Sable. he's friendly, but he's never seen geese before." The dog does seem more relaxed and sniffs at my shoes... I shake Daniel's hand and say "My name's Connor." I invite Daniel and Sable to come sit in the trees. Sitting down, I say, "I don't think I've seen you around, are you from here?" Picking at the grass, he says, "My family just moved here from Arizona." 

"I've been there, my aunt lives down there."

"Where does she live?"

" Peoria, I think." Looking at Daniel I find he's fashioned a small crown out of grass and a few foxgloves. Placing it on his head, he says "I lived in Glendale." I nod, "What prompted the move?" 

"My mom. She grew up in Minnesota, and she missed the snow, and fall, and spring." He continues, "And my dad got a job in Mankato, so...here we are."

Nodding, I ask, "how long have you been here?"

"Since May." 

"Do you like it?"

"Mostly, the weather now is like Arizona in March, and it's really pretty here. We came up in February to check out our house and I hated it. It was super cold, and I didn't have snow boots, so my shoes got all wet."I look at Sable, asleep on the grass, and say how about Sable?" He chuckles and replies "Everything but the geese." I laugh and say "I think I agree with him." Daniel laughs and says "We'd better get home." He stands up, and his coronet falls out of his fluffy black hair. I try to hand it to him, but he says with a wink, "keep it" and walks away, Sable trotting along behind him. After sitting in silence for a while, I decide to go home as well. Turning onto my street, I realize I have no idea where in town Daniel lives. Elysian is not a very big town, so it shouldn't be hard to find him sometime again. Being wrapped in thought, I pass my house. I turn and bound up the stairs. Inside the house, I find my mother in the kitchen, cooking some beef. Breathing in, I smell mushrooms. Beef stroganoff. It's Mom's favorite dish, and she makes it all the time.

"Hey Mom, do you know anyone who's moved into town lately?"

"Yes, my friend Jolene just moved back."

"Does she have children?"

"A boy, I think his name is Daniel." Upon hearing that, I have one more question.

"Does Jolene's husband work in Mankato?"

Mom pauses to think, then she replies, " I think he does."

Mom might know where Daniel and his family live.

"Do know you where in town they live?"

"In the white house on the end of Blue Bay Lane. Why do you ask?"

" I met Daniel today, I think Jolene is his mom."

She nods, then goes back to dinner. After around 10 minutes, the food is ready. She brings it to the table. We eat and talk a bit more about Daniel's family. After dinner, I go to my room and think some more.

The next morning, the weather is far different. It's still fairly warm, but flat gray clouds sulk in the sky. Today's weather seems inhospitable for going outside, so I click on the TV. Mom's at work, so I'm alone in the house. After around 2 hours, I hear thunder. Then the rain begins to pound on the roof. Shortly after, the tornado sirens begin to wail. I stand up, grab a few items and some food, and head to the basement. Once there, I call Mom. She says the school won't let her leave as a tornado has touched down. After about an hour and a half, the text that states the tornado is over goes out. I climb up the stairs and turn the TV to the news. Being on the east side of town, my house is mostly unscathed, but the western edge, where Daniel lives has sustained intense damage. The anchor states, "Heaviest damage around Frank Street, injuries and casualties unknown." Both my mom and Daniel are near Frank street right now, and although my mom has sent a text confirming she's well, I have no idea about Daniel. It will take a while to be able to get there since clean-up will take at least a few days. But at least I know Daniel's house was not in the direct path. A while, Mom comes in the front door. She looks frazzled but uninjured. She tells me, "Jolene called me, they've got a few trees down and some damage to their roof, but the house is intact. Despite the tornado, people seem hopeful. The town will be eager to rebuild itself. Just then, I see it on TV. Daniel's face, and behind him, the white house on Blue Bay Lane. I turn up the volume and hear him talk about how scary it was, not knowing if he and his mom would make it, not knowing if his dad could contact them, Sable barking the whole time and adding to the noise. I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that even though shaken up, Daniel kept it together, just like the white house on Blue Bay Lane.