In the summer of 1970, when I was nine-years-old, and living in Windsor, Maine I had heard for the first time in my life, a hurricane is coming.

I can't describe how excited I was about the thought of an actual hurricane hitting us. I was a boy who wanted some excitement in his life.

Plans were made for my family to head into Gardiner, Maine to stay at my step uncles very large house. My step uncles house had a cellar and all of us kids were told how safe we would be in the cellar when the hurrican hit.

On the way to our safe haven, us kidsw asked my mother and step father all the questions kids ask, such as, is our house going to blow away, are we going to die, will there be flooding, will the animals blow away, will the trees be blown down, will we die, will we die, will we die?

I rememeber my step father saying the clouds will become almost still, and the clouds will turn several different colors and then the clouds will race across the sky, and heavy rain will fall, and then finally we will have very strong winds.We were also told there would be a time during the storm when everything would become quiet and the sky would clear up but only for a little while and then we would be hit again by the storm as the we came out of the eye of the storm. I was confused. I wondered out loud, "How do clouds get an eye?" The eye of the storm had to be explained to us all.

When we arrived at our step uncles house, we found that there were several other people there to also use the cellar for safety.

It wasn't long before the clouds did seem to come to a stand still, and they did turn several different colors. The colors I remember most are pinks,yellows,orange and red. Today I see these same colors during a beautiful sunset, but on this summer day in 1970 it wasn't close to sunset yet.

I remember how the rain hit against the windowpanes with such force, I thought it was rocks being picked up by the wind and being thrown against the windows.It sounded as if though the rain was hitting the windows strong enough to break the glass. Us kids ran to look out the window, so we could see if any trees, houses, or even animals were blowing by.We were only able to be at the window for a few seconds because the adults told us to get away from the windows and stay away from them before they broke and we were cut by glass.

Just as I was about to walk away from the window I heard a creak coming from up above. I stopped in my tracks and listen for more noises. I told everyone to be quiet and listen. I heard more creaks and then more. It was almost as if the house were moaning. I can still remember the thought I had going through my head. I just knew this was the biggest mistake any adult has ever made, bringing us all to a huge,old house so we were safe.My thought was the house was to big and old to hold up to the wind outside.

The more I listen to the creaking sounds coming from all directions in the house, the more I knew I would not live to see the end of the storm. I tried as hard as I could to control my panic but the house gave out the biggest moan I had ever heard a house make.

That was it I couldn't stand the thought of all those rooms above me falling on top of me.I started screaming, "THE HOUSE IS FALLING, THE HOUSE IS FALLING!" I ran towards the kitchen door with everyone running right behind me. Everyone was screaming in a panic.

As I ran towards the door I was hoping no one would knock me down and hurt me. I was afraid if I got hurt everyone would leave me there so they could get to the basement. I had visions of me trying to get into the cellar but no one wanting to open the door to let me in because they were afraid if they did they would be sucked out.

Just as I reached the front door, I heard my great step grandmother Flossie say, "Wait, you can't go out there, that is where the hurricane is." I then heard everyone yelling at different vocal tones, "STOP!STOP!, DON"T OPEN THE DOOR." Everyone stopped, turned and looked at Flossie. We couldn't believe it was Flossie who had been the first to warn us not to open the door, because it was Flossie who was senile and in her late eighties.The rest of us were young and knew what we were doing at all times, or so we thought.

Usually Flossie was very confused about who we were and where she was, and just who had built the house she happened to be in at the time. Once Flossie even told me her husband and his brother built my aunt Bon's mobile home by themselves, but that someone must have closed off some of it because it was much smaller than she rememebered.And, she also told me it was one story taller, but they blocked the stairway off so she can't show me the upstair rooms.

We all stayed in the house and waited for the storm to pass. When the storm was over we went outside to look around. Everything seemed fine with the exception of a few trees being blown down. Also my step uncles house was still standing and we were all alive. Thanks to Flossie no one went out into the storm that day. To this day I wonder why we were all in the house when the storm hit. I have no idea why we weren't in the cellar. Also why didn't anyone think about there being no other way into the cellar except by the outside bulkhead?

My family got back into the car and went back to our home. When we got home our neighbors came over to play. We ask them about the storm, and how bad it was at our house. They told us it wasn't bad at all, just a little rain.

I don't know who decided the storm was a hurricane but it only seems logical to me that if it had been a hurricane we went through while at my step uncles house than the wind and rain would have also been as sever at our house, which was only about twenty miles away. I am guessing what we went through on that summer day in 1970 was just a very strong rain storm.Still Flossie was our hero for the day.

-- george nh (rcoopwalpole@aol.com), April 03, 2002

Answers

Thanks George. Makes me think 'we' kids should write a book.

It was late spring, about 1967 and Nana (alot like Flossie) came in the kitchen with a spray of flowers mumbling that her daffodils were 'upset', well we all knew Nana was a bit daft herself so...nobody paid any attention-the weather was turning cold and windy- I remember coming in the house way before curfew because it was cold- but it's late spring, weather happens and you don't have radar and 24 hr news! Nana started moving her bedding into the (summer) basement room saying she 'felt safer down there' okay Nana, if it makes you happy. So Nana's warm and cozy in her little basement room with a glass of port....the wind is picking up like crazy and even at the ripe old age of 9, I'm a little nervous but my parents and aunts and uncles are unfazed when...bam! The kitchen ceiling is on the table! The lights go out! It's bedlam! The end of the world! A huge tree had come down on the house, right across Nana's room. She knew. She couldn't tell us she knew, but she knew. I'll never go thru a storm without remembering that night. How the heck did she know?!

-- Kathy (catfish201@hotmail.com), April 03, 2002.

Just finished reading these posts and I am crawling with goosebumps. Thanks for the poignant and eerie stories.

-- Gayle in KY (gayleannesmith@yahoo.com), April 03, 2002.

George, I love your stories. My husband's great-aunt was also named Flossie. Every family needs one! His family also has a history of Alzheimer's, and they all live forever so we often have a few folks around who live in the past. When's the book coming out?

-- Sheryl in ME (radams@sacoriver.net), April 03, 2002.

Thank you, George, for posting a story. I always love to read what you have written and really miss your stories when you don't post for awhile. Hope the book's coming along well and you're getting started on volume 2 as I know I'll read through the first quickly and want more!

-- Terri in WV (mrs_swift_26547@yahoo.com), April 04, 2002.

George, I loved reading your story! Thank you for sharing it with us. I wish I had the knack to make words come alive as you have done. Best wishes to you sir...

-- K Phillips (Pen6@Peoplepc.com), April 04, 2002.

George - glad you're back!

-- Bernie from Northern Ontario (bernadette_kerr@hotmail.com), April 04, 2002.

Great Read! Thanks!

-- Trendle Ellwood (trendlespin@msn.com), April 04, 2002.

George - what a great read, as always! Have you ever thought about publishing any of your stories?

-- Joy in Eastern WA (jparkes@spfarm.com), April 04, 2002.

Thanks George...

-- Suzanne (weir@frontiernet.net), April 04, 2002.

Hey George and Sheryl. Either of you live in the Old Town area? That's where my own Aunt Flossie and her hub Alonzo lived. My fondest childhood memory is of drift fishing the Pushaw in a leaky wooden rowboat down to the lake and eating mosquitos with every bite of the perch we fried on the shore. I understand that jetskis make such a tranquil pastime impossible these days.

-- Jake de MA (ringelman5@yahoo.com), April 05, 2002.

Thank you, George!

-- Nina (Ingardenwithcat@hotmail.com), April 05, 2002.

Hi Jake, I never lived in Old Town. I lived in Windsor, which is furthur south than Old Town, however I had been through Old Town several times while growing up in Maine.

-- george nh (rcoopwalpole@aol.com), April 05, 2002.

Hi George! I am so happy I jumped on my friend's computer, and saw a "George Story"! I am in MA now permanently, and will be on from time to time until my apt comes through in May. Drop me a line when you can, I miss those stories, hope all is well!

-- Sandie in ME now in MA (thompson@greatpoint.net), April 05, 2002.

I have goosebumps too! Living in Oklahoma, I've never had a hurricane to contend with, but I can't even begin to count the number of times we hid from the tornados! Especially when I was little and there weren't any radars, just daddy standing out in the yard (where I wasn't allowed to peek!) while the rest of us (including the dog and some neighbors) stayed in the cellar.

One thing's for sure, it sure makes for an exciting evening, wondering if your house will be there when you return, huh?

Missed you too, by the way! Glad to hear about the new kids!

-- Christine in OK (cljford@mmcable.com), April 06, 2002.