Flood Warning (2 page)
When they got back to Tom's house, the cows were already shuffling into the barn for milking. Peggy said goodbye and raced down the driveway. Her family's dairy farm was just across the road.
Tom forgot about the river and hurried into the barn. His dad was using a pitchfork to toss hay into the cows' feed troughs.
“You're late,” Dad said, not looking up. He handed Tom the pitchfork. It was Tom's job to feed the cows. Tom's mom and dad did the milking.
Tom stuck the fork into a hay bale. He pulled out some loose hay and dropped it into the next stall. He finished putting out the hay and made sure the cows were settled into their stalls. Then he went to help with the milking.
Dad was bent under a large brown and white cow. He directed streams of milk into a metal pail. When the pail was full, he passed it to Tom. It took all of Tom's strength to lift the pail. He dumped the milk into the tall metal container used for storing and shipping milk.
The family's dairy farm was small. They had ten Guernsey cows and some spring calves. The male calves had already been sold. Three female calves remained with their mothers. The adult cows had to be milked twice a day, early in the morning and before supper. Tom's parents did all the milking by hand. It took about an hour and a half to finish. When they bought a milking machine, it would be quicker.
It wasn't until the family was sitting around the kitchen table eating supper that Tom remembered the river.
“I went down to the river today with Amos and Peggy,” Tom told his parents.
“So that's why you were late,” said Dad, sounding annoyed. But his mouth quirked sideways. Tom knew he wasn't really mad.
“The river's getting pretty high,” Tom said.
Tom's mom looked at her husband with concern. “It won't rise high enough to flood, will it?” she asked.
“I don't think there's anything to worry about,” said Dad. But the smile had left his lips.
Tom woke in the middle of the night. Someone was banging on the front door of the house. Amos got up from the floor beside Tom's bed. He barked twice, then padded out of the room and down the stairs.
Tom's parents stirred in the next bedroom. Dad's footsteps followed Amos down the stairs. The front door clicked opened. Tom could hear muffled voices, quiet but urgent. What was going on?
Tom climbed out of bed and listened at the top of the stairs. He heard the words
river
and
rising
steadily
. A chill ran up his back.
“What are you doing up?” said his mother.
Tom turned to see Mom standing in the hallway. She had her housecoat on over her nightgown.
“Go back to bed,” she said. “It's a school night.”
“But I want to know what's happening,” Tom said.
Dad appeared at the bottom of the stairs. “There's a flood warning all along the river!” he called up to them. “I'm going to help build up the sandbags.”
“I want to help too,” Tom said.
Mom put a hand on Tom's arm, holding him back. “It's nothing for you to worry about,” she said. “The men will take care of it.”
“I'm old enough to help,” Tom said. But Mom did not give in.
She nudged him toward his bedroom. “There's school in the morning,” she said. “You need to get your sleep.”
Tom climbed back into bed. He heard the sound of the front door closing and men's voices outside the house. He checked to see his mom wasn't still in the doorway. Then Tom jumped out of bed and hurried to the window.
A pickup truck was parked in the driveway below. It rumbled loudly. It was dark outside, but Tom could tell it was Peggy's dad's 1929 Ford. The light at the side of the house shone on her two older brothers in the back of the truck. Dad climbed into the cab next to Peggy's dad. The truck doors slammed shut, and the motor coughed into gear.
Tom leaned on the window ledge as the truck pulled away. He wished he was going with them. The Lone Ranger wouldn't stay home and do nothing.
The next morning, Dad was home in time for the milking.
“How's the river look?” Tom asked.
Dad shook his head. There were dark shadows under his eyes. “Still rising,” he said. “Men are working steady, building up dykes. I've got to get back there as soon as I'm finished here.”
“Can I come with you this time?” Tom asked.
Dad shook his head. “You've got school, and you're going to have to help around here when you get home. Now, hurry up with that hay,” he said, striding into the barn. “We've got to finish quickly.”
After the milking, Mom packed Dad some food and a thermos of coffee. He drove off with another group of men. Tom watched him go as he waited outside for Peggy. She and Tom walked to school together every morning.
“I wish I could go with my dad instead of going to school,” Tom said when Peggy joined him.
“Me too,” Peggy said.
Amos barked as if in agreement. He trotted in front of Tom and Peggy, leading the way to the shortcut across the back field and through the neighboring farms. The cows were now out grazing. The new calves stood close to their mothers.
“I wonder how high the river is,” said Tom. He pictured the sagging row of sandbags they had seen yesterday. Was water pouring over the top and through the cracks? Had the men fixed the wall and made it higher?
When they reached the edge of the pasture, Tom and Peggy climbed the fence. Amos sat watching them. This was as far as he was allowed to go. He raised one brown eyebrow as if to say,
Are you sure
I can't come with you?
“Sorry, boy,” Tom said. He knew how Amos felt. He hated being left behind when his dad was off doing something important.
“Hey,” Peggy said, breaking through Tom's thoughts. “This field is soggy.”
Tom felt mud tug at his shoes. When he lifted one foot, water slowly filled his footprint.
“That's strange,” Tom said. “Where's the water coming from?”
He looked up at Peggy, knowing the answer at once.
“The river,” they said together.
When they reached the school, Peggy said goodbye and joined the girls. Tom joined the crowd of boys. The boys and girls filed into the school in two separate lines. They weren't supposed to talk, but today there was a buzz of whispers. Tom caught Peggy's eye as they entered their grade-three classroom. They weren't sitting long before the teacher made an announcement.
“The town has declared a state of emergency,” she said. “The school is closing. You must all go home to help your families prepare for the flood.”
“What about the dykes?” asked a girl.
“The dykes will slow the water for a while,” said the teacher. “But they won't stop the flood.”
Tom and Peggy met outside the school.
“Come on!” Peggy said, starting to run.