Earthquake Terror by Peg Kehret

Author:Peg Kehret [Kehret, Peg]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781101661697
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 1998-04-30T16:00:00+00:00

Jonathan pulled the alder trees away from the side of the redwood. First they were a house, then they were steps, and now they were going to be boats.

“It’s my turn to be teacher,” Jonathan said as he selected the two biggest alders. “Today you’re going to have a riding lesson, only instead of a pony, you’ll learn to ride a tree.”

It might work, Jonathan thought. If she lies on her stomach and puts both arms around the tree trunk, she should be able to hang on and keep her head above water.

Abby scowled and stuck out her bottom lip. “It’s still my turn to be teacher,” she said. “We didn’t finish the song.”

“You can have a turn next. You can have two turns, but this is important, so listen carefully. We have to hold on to something that won’t sink. Like these tree trunks.” Jonathan pointed to the alders whose branches he had removed. “We each get to choose one of these trees for our own. Which one do you want?”

Abby looked at the trees. “I don’t want one.”

“Listen, Abby. The whole island is flooding and you need a tree to ride on in the water.”

“Why is there a flood?” she said. “It didn’t rain.”

“The earthquake caused the flood.”

“I don’t want to be in a flood. I want my cupcake. You promised me that if I kept walking, I could have lemonade and a cupcake.”

“I didn’t know the camper was going to be wrecked. Now, which tree do you want? If you don’t choose, I’ll choose for you.”

Abby pointed to the tree closest to her. “That one.”

“Good choice. This is now your very own personal tree.” He dragged the tree over to where Abby sat. She patted it.

Jonathan thought it was large enough to support Abby but he would need a bigger tree, something that would keep both him and Moose afloat.

He spotted one about twenty feet away.

“I pick that one,” he said. He tried to pull the tree closer to Abby but it was too heavy. Instead, he dragged her tree next to the one he had chosen and then helped Abby walk to it. His tennis shoes squished as he sloshed through the water.

“Watch me. This is what you need to do.”

Jonathan lay on his stomach on top of his tree, with his armpits on the tree trunk. “Keep your arms around the tree, like this,” he said. “No matter what happens, don’t let go. The tree is your friend and will help you stay above the water.”

Abby said nothing.

“Do you understand?”

“My shoes are getting wet.”

“We’re going to ride the trees now,” Jonathan said. “We’re each going to lie on our own tree. You lie down on yours and I’ll lie on mine and we’ll hold tight. The trees will be our boats, if the water gets too high.”

“What’s my tree’s name?”

“You get to name it. It can be anything you want. You can name my tree, too.”

“My tree is Charlotte and yours is Wilbur.”

“All right,” Jonathan said.

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