Hurricane Heroes in Texas

by Mary Pope Osborne

  The wind ripped the door off its hinges! Jack and Annie jumped out of the way as the door crashed to the floor. Seawater began pouring into the house!

  “Upstairs!” cried Rose. Holding Lily in her arms, she splashed across the parlor to the stairway. Jack grabbed his knapsack and hurried up the steps after Annie and Rose.

  When they reached the second-floor hallway, Jack heard glass shatter below. He looked down the stairs. The first floor windows had broken. Water covered the parlor floor and was rising fast.

  A chunk of the upstairs ceiling crashed to the floor of the hallway! It barely missed them.

  “This way!” shouted Rose. “Be careful!”

  Still carrying Lily, Rose led Jack and Annie into a dark bedroom. She shut the door. “There!” she said.

  Shutting out the hurricane was impossible, though. The windows in the bedroom were broken. Glass was everywhere. Wind and rainwater swirled in. Jagged pieces of roof shingles blew inside.

  “Get down! Cover your heads!” Rose cried.

  Shielding Lily, Rose knelt between the wall and the bed. Jack and Annie crouched behind her. The baby buried her face against Rose.

  The house swayed back and forth. Jack felt water under his feet. It was seeping under the bedroom door!

  “We need to get higher!” said Rose. “The roof!”

  “How?” said Jack.

  “Follow me!” said Rose. Carrying Lily, she led Jack and Annie out of the bedroom.

  The rising seawater had reached the upstairs hall. Rain was pouring through a giant hole in the roof.

  “If we can just get up there—on the roof—we can get above the water!” said Rose.

  “We can climb on furniture!” said Annie.

  “Good!” said Rose. “The dresser! The chest! The chair!”

  Jack and Annie pushed a tall dresser under the hole in the ceiling. They hoisted a chair on top of the dresser. Then they pushed a blanket chest against the dresser to help them climb up.

  “Rose, you go first!” said Jack. “Use the chest to get up onto the dresser. Then use the chair to get to the roof. Once you’re safe, we’ll hand Lily up.”

  Annie took the baby from Rose. She whispered softly to her as Rose climbed from the chest onto the top of the dresser.

  “Careful!” said Jack.

  Rose then climbed onto the chair. She grabbed the edge of the torn roof and hauled herself up. “Now Lily!” she called to Jack and Annie.

  Jack climbed up on the chest, then the dresser. Then he stood up on the chair and reached down as Annie held the baby up to him.

  The baby was heavier than Jack had expected! He steadied himself on the chair, then lifted Lily up toward Rose.

  Jack held the baby as high as he could. Rose grabbed Lily and pulled her onto the roof.

  “You go next,” Jack said to Annie. He stepped off the chair.

  Annie climbed onto the dresser. Jack held the chair steady as she pulled herself up onto the roof.

  Jack followed. He stood on the chair and peered above the roof. The wind and rain pounded him. He felt the chair shaking. The dresser shook, too. The whole house was shaking!

  With no time to think, Jack gripped the edge of the broken roof and pulled himself up. He joined the others on the windblown, soggy rooftop.

  Battered by wind and rain, they all crouched around the baby. They held each other tightly.

  The house shook beneath them.

  “How can we get to high ground?” Jack shouted.

  “I don’t know!” said Rose.

  Jack looked around. In the last light of early evening, all of Galveston seemed covered by water.

  Suddenly there was a loud CRACK. The house was sliding off its pillars! It was splitting in two!

  Rose cried out. Jack and Annie clung more tightly to her and Lily.

  There were more loud cracking sounds. Half of the house crumbled into the churning seawater. The roof over the other half broke completely free of the house…with all of them on it!

  “Hang on!” cried Annie.

  Jack and Annie held on to Rose and Lily as the wind pushed the roof onto the floodwaters.

  Lily let out a wail. Rose started singing. Her voice was surprisingly strong. Annie began singing along:

  Hush, little baby, don’t say a word.

  Papa’s going to buy you a mockingbird.

  As their voices rose above the wind, Jack saw crumbling buildings. He saw people floating on mattresses, on boards, and even in washtubs.

  Jack heard cries of “Help!” from survivors on rooftops. He saw others hanging on to tree limbs.

  He wished he and Annie could help everyone. But there was no way to steer the roof raft. Every time the wind shifted, the direction of the waves shifted with it. The rooftop kept turning and moving with the storm waters.

  Lily finally fell asleep. Rose and Annie stopped singing.

  “Where are we?” asked Annie.

  Rose looked around in the dim light. She gasped. “The Gulf! I think we’re heading toward the Gulf,” she cried.

  “The Gulf?” said Jack. “You mean we might end up out in the ocean?”

  “Oh, no!” said Annie.

  But the wind shifted again. The water current changed. The roof spun around and began moving in another direction. Jack didn’t know what to do, except hang on to the others.

  “Are you both all right?” Rose asked.

  “I’m good,” said Jack.

  “Me too,” said Annie. “Are you okay, Rose?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I can’t figure out what to do.”

  “There’s nothing we can do,” said Annie. “We have to wait for it all to end.”

  “I think you’re right, Annie,” said Rose.

  Adrift on the black floodwaters, the roof raft rose and fell with the waves. Storm wreckage crashed against it. But the current kept pushing the raft through the wreckage.

  Jack and Annie held on tightly to Rose, as she cradled the baby. Drifting through the storm, they all rocked back and forth together.

  After a while, Jack gave in to his tiredness. His head nodded. His eyes started to close….

  “Jack! Jack! Are you awake?” said Annie.

  Jack blinked a few times. “What?” he asked groggily.

  It was dark, and the night was still. The rain had stopped. The water was calm. Branches and boards gently bumped against the roof raft.

  “Look at that castle!” said Annie.

  “What castle?” said Rose.

  “What castle?” echoed Jack. In a daze, he looked around at the darkness.

  “Over there,” said Annie.

  A full moon peeked out from the clouds. Moonlight shone on castle towers rising above the water.

  “Oh, man,” said Jack. “Is that a real castle?”

  “No, I’m afraid not,” said Rose. “It’s a school run by Catholic nuns. It’s called the Ursuline Academy.”

  “Ursuline Academy?” said Jack. He sat straight up, fully awake.

  “Ursuline Academy!” exclaimed Annie. “I don’t believe it!”

  “What? Why?” asked Rose.

  “That’s a safe place!” said Annie. “We read about it in our Texas book! People survived the hurricane there!”

  “What are you talking about?” said Rose.

  “Annie, you’re remembering the description in our guidebook,” Jack said quickly. “The book just said it was a ‘tall, sturdy building’. You must have dreamed the rest.”

  “Oh, right,” Annie said. “I dreamed it. But it definitely looks like a tall, sturdy place. Doesn’t it?”

  “It looks dark,” said Rose.

  “I know,” said Annie. “But I’ll bet lots of people are inside the Ursuline Academy. And I feel like they’re safe.”

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nbsp; “I’m feeling that, too,” said Jack. “I think we should go there.”

  “But how do we get there?” said Rose.

  “Jack and I can get in the water and push the roof,” said Annie. “We’re good swimmers.”

  “Oh, no, no. That’s too dangerous,” said Rose. “There’s wreckage everywhere.”

  “Maybe we can use some of it,” said Annie.

  “What do you mean?” said Rose.

  “We could try to find something to use as paddles,” said Annie.

  “Good idea,” said Jack.

  He and Annie leaned over the edge of the raft, searching the water.

  Jack lifted up part of a chair. Annie retrieved a torn basket.

  “These won’t work,” said Jack. They put them back into the water.

  “Hey, this might,” said Annie. She hauled a flat wooden fence picket onto the raft.

  “Try it,” said Jack.

  Annie knelt on the roof. She pushed the narrow slat through the water.

  The raft moved—but only a little.

  “We need a second paddle,” said Annie. “For the other side.”

  “Look, a broom,” said Jack. He lifted a broomstick out of the water. A flat bundle of wet straw was tied tightly at the end.

  Jack pushed the straw end of the broom through the water. At the same time, Annie pushed with her fence-paddle.

  “We’re moving!” said Rose.

  Jack and Annie kept paddling the raft toward the moonlit towers of the Ursuline Academy. As they drew closer, they saw that the massive building was partly damaged. Its tall, arched windows were smashed.

  But suddenly a light appeared.

  “Hello!” Rose shouted.

  “Hello!” a woman called back.

  “Is it safe inside?” Rose called. “I have children with me!”

  “Yes! We can help!” the woman called.

  Jack and Annie kept paddling their roof-raft through the water. When they got nearer to the academy, Jack could see two women at the window. Both were dressed in black robes with large white collars. Their heads were covered.

  Jack realized that they must be Catholic nuns. The younger woman held a lantern. The older one was leaning out the window.

  “Keep paddling! You’re going to make it!” she called to them.

  “Oh, my, that’s Mother Mary Joseph!” said Rose.

  “Who is she?” asked Annie.

  “Mother Mary Joseph is in charge of the school and all the nuns. She is much loved in Galveston,” said Rose.

  The raft finally reached the window. Jack grabbed the windowsill to hold the floating roof steady. The younger nun held the lantern. Mother Mary Joseph helped Rose and Lily climb through the window.

  “You go next,” Jack said to Annie.

  Annie crawled through the window. Then she grabbed the edge of the roof-raft. She held it steady while Jack climbed inside the building.

  “We’re safe!” said Annie.

  Jack took a deep breath. They were in a long hallway with dark wooden walls.

  “Welcome, all of you,” said Mother Mary Joseph. “Sister Agnes will stay here with the lantern while I take you to the auditorium. But first you children must put shoes on your feet. Our hallway is littered with broken glass.”

  The nun reached into a bag and pulled out two pairs of shoes. They were both black lace-ups. Jack and Annie each took a pair and put them on. Jack’s shoes were too long and too narrow. They looked silly on him.

  Rose laughed. It was good to hear her laugh, Jack thought. He laughed with her.

  “At least they’ll protect your feet,” Rose said.

  “Come,” said Mother Mary Joseph. As he walked down the hallway, every step in the tight shoes was painful for Jack.

  Mother Mary Joseph led them into an auditorium. The huge room was filled with hundreds of people. Oil lamps cast shadows on men, women, and children. Everyone looked weary. Their clothes were torn and wet.

  “Ohh…so many people,” said Rose.

  “Yes,” said Sister Mary Joseph. “They’re from every walk of life—rich, poor, black, white, young, and old. Some have lost members of their families. Many have wounds or broken bones. All of them are refugees from the storm.”

  “Oh, my, you’ve saved them all?” said Rose.

  “They saved themselves,” said Mother Mary Joseph. “They all worked hard to make their way here. And they’re still being brave and strong. Even some with injuries are trying to help others.”

  “Of course,” said Rose, smiling. “Texans are at their best when things look the worst.”

  “That’s true. Come with me,” said Mother Mary Joseph. “I’ll take you to the supplies in the front. We can find dry clothes for the baby there.”

  “Oh, thank you,” Rose said. “And dry clothes for Jack and Annie, too, please.”

  “Oh, no, we’re fine,” said Jack.

  “We want to help, too,” Annie said to Mother Mary Joseph. “What can we do?”

  The nun smiled. “Perhaps you could try cheering up some of the smaller children,” she said. “They are all very frightened by the storm.”

  “Okay, we’re pretty good at cheering people up,” said Annie.

  “Wonderful,” said Mother Mary Joseph. Then she turned to Rose. “Come, dear. Let’s find something dry for your beautiful child.”

  “Thank you,” said Rose. Carrying Lily, she followed Mother Mary Joseph to the front of the auditorium.

  “Where to?” Jack said to Annie.

  “I guess we should just wander around and see who needs us,” said Annie. She led the way down a crowded aisle to a far corner of the auditorium. There, some nuns were taking care of the injured.

  A woman with her arm in a sling was trying to calm her fussy baby. Annie knelt beside her.

  “Can I sing to your baby?” she asked the injured mother. “Maybe that will calm him down.”

  “Oh, yes, please,” the woman said.

  Annie picked up the baby and rocked him. She sang:

  Hush, little baby, don’t say a word.

  Papa’s going to buy you a mockingbird.

  The baby smiled at her. Annie kept singing.

  If that mockingbird don’t sing,

  Papa’s going to buy you a diamond ring.

  Jack heard a faint cry from nearby. “Rose?”

  As Annie kept singing, Jack looked around at all the injured people. Who said “Rose”? he wondered.

  The cry came again, louder than the first one. “Rose!”

  Jack saw a young man lying on a blanket. His arms were bandaged. His leg was in a splint.

  Jack’s heart pounded. He hurried over to the man and knelt down. “Are you looking for Rose?” he asked.

  “Rose—she’s singing—Lily,” the man said.

  “Are you Lucas?” said Jack.

  “Yes…,” the man said weakly.

  “Oh, wow—hold on!” said Jack. “I’ll be right back!”

  Jack hurried to Annie. She had rocked the baby to sleep but was still singing softly.

  “I found Rose’s husband!” Jack said. “See the man over there with a hurt leg? He heard you singing that song. I heard him call ‘Rose’!”

  “Oh! Oh!” said Annie. “Get Rose! Bring her here!”

  Jack hurried to the front of the auditorium. He found Rose with Lily and Mother Mary Joseph.

  “Rose! We found Lucas!” Jack said.

  “Ohh!” Rose cried out. She and Mother Mary Joseph followed Jack through the auditorium to the corner with all the wounded people.

  Annie was sitting beside Lucas now. His eyes were closed.

  “Lucas!” Clutching Lily, Rose fell to her knees. She touched the man’s bruised face.

  Lily started to cry.


  Lucas opened his eyes. He smiled, and in a whispery voice, he sang:

  Hush, little baby, don’t say a word.

  Papa’s going to buy you a mockingbird.

  Lily stopped crying. She reached out to Lucas. He took her tiny hand and kissed it.

  “Pa-pa!” the baby said, and she laughed.

  “Oh, Lucas!” said Rose. She was laughing and crying at the same time.

  Lucas reached out to her. Rose took his hand and pressed it against her wet cheek. “I was so worried about you,” she said.

  “I’ll be fine…,” said Lucas.

  “Darling, our house is gone. We’ve lost everything,” said Rose.

  “No. We haven’t,” said Lucas. “We still have each other…. How did you get here?”

  As Rose began telling Lucas about their journey, Mother Mary Joseph turned to Jack and Annie.

  “Rose spoke of your great courage and kind hearts,” she said. “I’m glad you found the way here. I fear few others will be able to find us in the dark.”

  “Why?” said Jack.

  “They will have no light to lead them. We have very little oil left for our lamps,” said the nun. “We must use what we have to light the auditorium.”

  Annie gasped. Softly, she recited:

  For those in the dark,

  Adrift and astray,

  A single bright star

  Can show them the way.

  “Oh…oh!” said Jack. He’d forgotten all about their star necklace. He turned to Mother Mary Joseph. “Can you take us back to Sister Agnes?”

  “If you like…,” she said, looking puzzled. She led Jack and Annie out of the auditorium and down the hall. Sister Agnes was still holding her lantern at the window. The flame was about to go out.

  “We have something that might help,” Annie said.

  Annie took off the star necklace. She reached up and hooked the chain over the window frame.

  The star dangled in the breeze coming from outside. Its tiny light was no more than the flame of a birthday candle.

  “What a lovely thought,” Mother Mary Joseph said to Annie. “A lone star—just like our Texas star. Shall we go back to the others now?”