The Days We Remember [Requests Closed]

May Winds

The states of the Midwest were always on edge during this time of year. There was always a constant feeling of anxiety or panic. None of them could ever tell when a funnel might touch down. For them, it was never a matter of if, but when. It was one of the times of year that America always dreaded. The one thing he couldn't fight against. All he could do was offer shelter. Maybe that was the best thing for him to do.

During the spring-summer transition, most of the states from the Midwest came to stay with the states in the northeast. It was a part of the country that hardly had many occurrences of the deadly winds. During this time, the weather was usually somewhat calm in New England.

This May was like any other. Most of the states near Missouri had left to visit the states up north. It wasn't as if they couldn't still feel the panic their people felt. The fact that they could tell themselves that the storm was hundreds of miles away, though, helped to calm them.

"Charlotte," he called up the stairs. "You ready to go, yet?"

"I can't find my coat," she called back.

America sighed. He walked across the room, a coat rack fixed to the fall beside the door. Hanging with a few others was a pink jacket.

"The pink one?" America called to Missouri.

"Yeah!"

"It's down here!" He heard her shoes hit the floor and each step as she rushed downstairs. With a small backpack in her hands, she ran to America who held her jacket out for her.

Missouri slipped her arms into the sleeves and got her bag onto her back before looking up to America.

"Ready?"

She nodded. "Ready."

America had hardly taken a step onto the grass outside when a voice cut through the air. "Tornado!"

America looked towards the car, where Alabama was running from. His skin seemed pale, his eyes wide as he sprinted to America.

"There's a twister coming this way! Close by!"

America looked out and saw what he was talking about. A monstrous funnel was headed this way.

"Inside! Get in the cellar! Now!"

The two didn't need to he told. The two were already running to the cellar door as he spoke, following close behind them. The door slammed shut as their footsteps could be heard running down the steps.

Missouri quickly ran to the corner, huddling against the cold wall with her brother and dad. She could feel the whirling in her head that terrified her. Her small body trembled as the storm raced closer.

"Charlotte. Christian."

"We're over here," Alabama said quickly.

America quickly sat with the two, holding them close. He knew he couldn't stop anything, and that was what he hated most. All they could do was wait the storm out. The ground rumbled and shook.

"Dad," Missouri whispered, as if the storm would here her. "I'm scared."

America let his head rest atop his daughter's head. "It's okay," he said quietly. "You want to know something?"

She slowly nodded her head.

"I'm scared, too."

"Really?" Alabama asked.

America nodded in the dark. "Very scared. There's no shame in being scared."

The rumblings grew louder and stronger as seconds passed. "Can you sing a song?"

"What song?"

"Anything," Alabama said quickly, trying not to show his fright.

The two jumped as something was thrown against the house above them. America immediately started to hum a tune he remembered from before he was a colony. A song his mother would always song to him as he fell asleep, or when he needed comfort from storms.

He felt the trembling in his children lessen until there was only the shaking of the earth. He repeated his song when he had finished the last verse, and he didn't stop until the winds had passed.

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Requested by teal_in_the_rain.

The tornado in Joplin, Missouri on May 22 was rated EF5, the highest as most dangerous rating. It was part of a string of twisters in late May of 2011. The tornado was comprised of multiple funnels and was about a mile wide (1.6km). It tore through the southern parts of the city and reconstruction after the storm followed for over a decade.

*insane muttering* I AM SO SORRY. It's taking me WAY too freaking long to get to these requests. I'm doing these first before I work on anything else, that's a promise. I'm making myself. *quiet cursing at myself*

So, I live in the northeast. Over here there are lots of mountains and stuff so we don't get much tornadoes and such.

All while writing this I'm just muttering to myself, trying to figure out what/how to write and I'm like, it was a nice summer afternoon. Then, oh, look! Some clouds over there and grouping together and oh, I'm getting a headache. And suddenly, WIND. LOTS OF WIND.
So, yeah. Hope it was good.