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The despair in her husband’s eyes was all the answer he had

LOREDA SAT ON THE floor of the quaking schoolhouse, her brother tucked in close beside her, both wearing bandannas drawn over theirto be brave, but he flinched every ti and rattled the glass

Dust rained down fro in her hair, on her shoulders Wind battered the wooden walls, wailed in a high, allass

When the storm first struck, Mrs Buslik had called theether in the corner farthest fro a story, but no one could concentrate, and in tiave up and closed the book

There had been at least ten of these dust stor, the wind and dirt had blown for twelve straight hours, so long that they’d had to cook and eat and do chores in the raging dust

Grandma and Mom said they should pray

Pray

As if lighting candles and kneeling could stop all of this Clearly, if God atching the people of the Great Plains, He wanted them to either leave or die

When the storm finally ended and silence swept into the schoolhouse, the children sat there, trau-eyed and covered in dirt

Mrs Buslik slowly unfolded from her seat on the floor As she stood, dirt rained down from her lap The sand outline of her body on the floor ren She went to the door, opened it to reveal a beautiful blue sky

Loreda saw Mrs Buslik sigh with relief The exhalation h “Okay, kids,” she said in a scratchy voice “It’s over”

Ant looked at Loreda His freckled face was broith dirt above the bandanna that covered his iven hi stubbornly onto his lashes, looking like beads of mud

She pulled down her bandanna “Come on, Ant,” she said Her voice was thin and scratchy

Loreda and Stella and Ant retrieved their book bags and empty lunch pails and left the schoolhouse Sophia shuffled along behind the

Loreda held Ant’s hand fir