Nobody under eighteen in sexual situations. This story has a factual basis, but I may have embellished it ever so SLIGHTLY! All characters are fictitious. This is a fantasy, based on a real historical event. Try not to ruin it with too much reality. Be kind in your comments please.
*
Agnes
For those of you that are not old, Agnes was a hurricane. This all took place about fifty years ago, in late June of 1972. It may not have been the biggest or the most destructive, but it hit me and my folks and my neighbors as well. It made a very lasting impression on me.
My mom had come to pick us up from school in the VW bus. It was old, but it ran pretty well and got great mileage. She was picking us up from school because the hurricane was in full bore and headed straight for our little town. The high winds and torrential rain were unbelievable. There were tornado warnings all over the place, and she wanted us home. As she made the turn onto our road, we ran into a RIVER that was, until recently, our road. Next to the river was a torrent that was a small stream, now at least ten feet deep and thirty feet wide. My God in heaven! My mom ran over something. I got out quick. At eighteen years old and six-two, I had a bit of strength. I got behind the car and shoved with all my might. We got over the tree limb that was holding up the vehicle. We got to the driveway, and it was just as bad, maybe worse! There was two feet of water rushing down our driveway. No way to get up the drive, as it was. My mom was losing it.
I took over. My mom got in the passenger seat. I backed up to the small farmers road and floored it! We got onto the property, into the meadow but on the farm! We weren't farmers; my folks were only renting the place until they found a decent house. I drove through the field, and we finally got to the house. We ran into the house, but we were all soaked head to foot, as the rain came down in sheets. The lightning and thunder, along with the rain and wind, made it feel like the end of the world.
The house phone was ringing. At least that still worked, but for how long?
"Hello." My mom answered. There was much screaming on the other side of the conversation.
"Mrs. Watson, calm down! I'll send Jack! Don't try to swim it! He'll be there in a few minutes. Don't worry!" My mom looked at me. "Mrs. Watson is trapped in her house with Jasper and Scotty. Can you get her out safely? Try to save the animals if you can, but get her out." My mom was specific.
"I'll have to take the horse," I said to my mom. No way I can get there by car.
"You're not taking Tuesday!" Tuesday was a high-strung quarter horse. She would be nuts in this weather. We also had a draft horse, actually a bit bigger than those lovely Clydesdales. Chief was a giant draft horse, eighteen hands tall at the withers. He was maybe two thousand pounds of power. He was tough as nails too. He was angry a lot, but he never lost his cool. He was not fast at all, but could probably run through a brick wall.
"No, I'm taking Chief. I'm going to need my climbing rope too. I better run. This is getting worse. I'll be back as fast as I can. If you see a tornado, head down to the basement. Don't worry about me. I'll bring back the old lady and her dog."
"Don't forget Scotty!" My little brother added. Scotty was the cat.
"I won't forget. You two take care of mom." I said to my little brother and sister. They looked at me seriously. They hugged my mom instantly. My mom held them tightly. The wind howled as our family embraced.
I kissed my mom and left to take care of our neighbor, Mrs. Watson.
By now, the winds were at least fifty or sixty miles an hour, maybe more. I got the horse saddled up, and we were off across the fields to get to the poor woman down the street. The rain was unbelievable, coming down like cats and dogs! Our house sat up on a rise, but Mrs. Watson's lovely stone house was only twenty feet from the raging river, and the water was rising very fast. I waded to her house, and the water was at least three feet deep. Inside, she was trying to save her things by moving them to the second floor. I felt the whole home shudder. Something big hit the house. Keep in mind that this house is made of native stone! Mrs. Watson was screaming and working frantically. It was too late for that.
"Mrs Watson. Let it go. The only thing we can save is your life and the animals. We gotta go before this place collapses or gets washed away. Come on!" I took her hand and carried her back through four feet of swirling water to the elevated road. I had to go back and get the dog and cat, who wanted to tenderize my shoulder! I got them back to the road, and then we saw it.
It was her daughter Michelle's little blue car. It was on top of a big log in the deeper water. It was at least forty feet away. I got my rope and tied it to the horse's saddle and to myself. A cop and about twenty of my friends and neighbors showed up. He started taking off his stuff. I think he wanted to do the rescue.
"Son, I should be doing that, not you!" the cop said.
