Halifax Explodes!

by Frieda Wishinsky

  Emily and Matt followed Tim down Citadel Hill. Emily held Poppy’s leash and Matt carried the sled.

  The air was thick with smoke as they passed a house whose windows had all been shattered. A woman sat outside on a broken chair. She stared out into the distance shaking her head and saying over and over, “I can’t believe this. How did it happen?”

  “Excuse me,” said Tim. “But have you seen this girl?” Tim showed her the photograph of Carolyn and Poppy.

  “Yes. I know that girl,” said the woman. “She always walks her dog down this block. I see her when I sweep my porch. She has a nice smile and always says hello.”

  “Did you see her today?” asked Emily.

  “Yes. I saw her fifteen minutes before the blast. Poor girl. I hope she’s well.” The woman shook her head again. “Such a terrible day. So many hurt. So many—” Then she stared off into the distance.

  “Poor woman,” said Tim. “She’s in shock.”

  “But at least we know Carolyn was around here not long before the blast. She couldn’t have walked too far,” said Emily.

  “I hope not,” said Tim. “I was afraid she might have run down to the harbour. Many people hurried down there after the ships first collided. There was a spectacular fire and people were curious. No one knew the ships would explode.”

  The group trekked on. As they passed a small house with broken doors and windows, they heard moans coming from inside.

  “Look!” said Emily. “Part of the roof has fallen in.”

  “They’re people inside who need help!” said Tim. “I have to go in and see what I can do. You two stay here.”

  Emily, Matt, and Poppy waited outside. Tim carefully climbed over the broken front door.

  They heard him call to the people inside. Then they heard someone cry out, “Come, quickly!”

  Soon Tim was back out, carrying a boy of about seven. His mother hobbled out after him.

  Tim placed the boy gently on the ground. “This is Andrew. I think his leg is broken,” said Tim. He grabbed a piece of ripped curtain and a small board, and made a splint. “This will do for now, but we need to get him seen by a doctor. Camp Hill Hospital isn’t far from here. Let’s take him there. We can ask at the hospital about Carolyn. And if she’s not there, we’ll hurry back here to look some more.”

  “We can put Andrew on the sled and pull him,” said Matt.

  “Good idea,” said Tim. “I don’t think I can carry him all the way.”

  CHAPTER 6:

  Is She Here?

  The hospital was only a few blocks away. It was packed with injured people. Some hobbled in on their own. Some leaned on a friend, a relative, or a stranger. Some were carried in on makeshift stretchers or in people’s arms. Doctors and nurses scurried around trying to help as many people as they could.

  Tim found a stretcher and carefully lifted Andrew off the sled and onto it.

  “Go find your sister,” the boy’s mother told Tim. “Andrew will be fine. Thank you all for your kindness. We’re the lucky ones.” The woman sighed. “So many are worse off today.”

  “Let’s look around the hospital for Carolyn,” said Matt.

  “We could ask a nurse or a doctor if they’ve seen her,” said Emily.

  Tim nodded. It was hard to move around the hospital with so many people coming in and so little space for the wounded. They tried not to get in the way of the doctors and nurses dashing from patient to patient. It was hard to stop a doctor or nurse to ask about Carolyn. Finally, Tim tapped a doctor on the shoulder.

  “What is it, young man?” barked the doctor. “I don’t have time to talk.”

  “My sister is missing. Have you seen her, sir?” Tim showed the doctor Carolyn’s photograph.

  “No. I haven’t seen that girl, but so many people have passed through here today that it’s hard to remember faces.” The doctor sighed. The expression on his face softened. He touched Tim’s arm gently. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to tend to the wounded. I hope you find your sister.”

  “Thank you, sir,” said Tim.

  Tim, Emily, Matt, and Poppy walked up and down the wards packed with the wounded. But there was no sign of Carolyn anywhere. They showed her picture to other nurses and doctors, but no one had seen her.

  Then they went outside. Tim slumped into a broken bench in front of the hospital. He choked back tears.

  “We can’t give up,” said Emily. “We have to keep looking.”

  “Let’s go back to that first house where the woman saw Carolyn before the blast,” said Matt.

  Tim took a deep breath. Then he stood up. “You’re right. There’s no time for sadness now. We have to keep looking. We have to find her—and we will.”

  They hurried down the streets, back toward the first house where they’d helped Andrew. As they passed it, they spotted a thin, grey-haired man sitting on a legless couch outside a house. The roof of his home had caved in. The man stared at a picture of his family.

  “Excuse me, sir,” said Tim. “Do you need help?”

  The man looked up. “Thank you, young man. My family is safe. That’s all that matters. My house can be repaired.”

  Tim pulled out Carolyn’s photo from his pocket. “Have you seen this girl? She’s my sister.”

  The man examined the photo carefully. “I haven’t seen the girl, but I have seen that hat. Look over there and you’ll find it. The hat was such a bright shade of red that I couldn’t forget it.”

  The man pointed to a pile of debris in front of a house nearby. “Good luck,” he said.

  CHAPTER 7:

  Carolyn’s Tree

  Tim raced to the pile. It was a tower of broken beds, ripped clothing, broken glass, and parts of windows and doors. Just as the man had said, there on top lay a red hat. Carolyn’s hat.

  Tim picked it up and wiped the dust and dirt off. “She was here—or somehow her hat blew over here.”

  “She’s probably close by right now,” said Emily.

  Just then Poppy began to bark and pull at his leash.

  “Poppy knows that it’s Carolyn’s hat,” said Tim. “He loves her. He barks for an hour every day after she leaves for school.”

  “But which way should we look for her now?” asked Matt.

  “Carolyn usually walks to the right,” said Tim. “There’s a big old tree she loves that way. It has four large branches and beautiful pink blossoms in the spring. It’s right near Mrs. Winter’s Candy Store. Carolyn calls it her tree.”

  The children followed Tim. The explosion had hit the stores and houses on this block hard. Building walls had caved in. Roofs had blown off.

  “Carolyn’s tree has to be here. I was sure I’d recognize it. It has such an unusual shape but so many of the trees have been damaged,” said Tim. “Nothing is the same.” He took a deep breath. “I have to find Carolyn. She’s a terrific girl. I…I…want you to meet her.”

  “I know we’ll meet her soon,” said Emily.

  “Is Carolyn’s scarf red, like her hat?” asked Matt.

  “Yes!” said Tim.

  “Well, there’s a red scarf beside that tree over there.” Matt pointed to a large tree. Two of its branches had fallen against the wall of a house.

  “That’s her scarf!” said Tim, running over to the tree. “I bet this was her tree, although it’s hard to recognize it in this condition. She must be around here somewhere.”

  “Look!” said Emily. “There’s a sign on that broken building. It says, ‘Mrs. Winter’s Candy Store’.”

  “Poor Mrs. Winter. Her store was special. All the children loved it. It was Carolyn’s favourite place.”

  “Maybe she went there today after walking Poppy,” said Emily.

  “Maybe she’s in there right now,” said Matt.

  Just then a woman stumbled out of the damaged
candy store.

  “My store…my store,” she muttered.

  Tim, Matt, and Emily hurried over to the woman.

  “Sit down,” said Matt, dragging over a chair that had survived the explosion. They helped the woman to the chair.

  “Mrs. Winter, are you hurt?” asked Tim.

  “My head aches terribly,” said Mrs. Winter. “I fell against a counter. Look at my store. What happened?”

  “The whole city has been damaged in a terrible explosion,” said Tim.

  Mrs. Winter looked up at Tim. “I know you. You’re Carolyn’s brother. She was just talking to me about you before that terrifying blast.”

  Tim swallowed hard. “Do you know where Carolyn is right now?”

  “No. She left the store about five minutes before everything happened. It was all so quick. The noise. The smoke. The shaking. Everything falling. Everything breaking.”

  Tears trickled down Mrs. Winter’s face. She wiped her eyes with her hand and looked up at Tim. “She was buying gumdrops for your birthday, Tim. It was going to be a surprise. She was walking her dog when she stopped by. I told her she’d better hurry to school. I told her she’d be late. And then…then…

  “Find her, Tim. You must.”

  CHAPTER 8:

  Waiting for Tim

  “Gumdrops were the surprise! So that was what the words meant on the back of the photograph!” said Tim. “I’ll never forgive myself if anything happens to Carolyn. I’m going to look in the store just to be sure.”

  Matt and Emily glanced at each other. They were both thinking the same thing. What if Carolyn wasn’t there? What if Carolyn was hurt—or worse?

  “You two stay outside with Poppy,” said Tim. “Make sure Mrs. Winter is all right.”

  “Maybe Poppy can help you find Carolyn,” Emily suggested.

  “I don’t want anyone else going in with me. The store doesn’t look safe. A wall could fall down any minute. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  With that, Tim stepped over the broken front door and the shattered glass.

  “Be careful,” Emily and Matt called out.

  The two friends and Poppy waited outside. They listened for voices from inside the building but they heard nothing. Mrs. Winter sat quietly in the chair, moaning and sighing.

  “Are you okay?” asked Matt.

  “My head still hurts but I’ll be fine,” she said. “I’m just worried about that sweet girl. Her brother survived the war to come home to this terrible business. It’s all horrible.”

  “I can hear Tim calling Carolyn now,” said Emily.

  “Listen!” said Matt.

  They heard a clunk, as if something hard had been dropped.

  “Oh no. No. No,” Tim groaned.

  Emily and Matt looked at each other. Was Tim hurt? Had he found Carolyn?

  “Here comes Tim!” cried Emily.

  Tim climbed over the broken front door. His hair was streaked black and white with soot and dust. There was a large hole in the sleeve of his uniform. His scratched face was bleeding.

  “What happened?” Matt asked.

  “I didn’t find Carolyn,” said Tim. “I walked all the way to the back of the store and looked around. I called out for her over and over. I looked everywhere. I looked under everything—broken glass, broken beams, bashed-up counters, piles of boxes. But she wasn’t there.”

  Mrs. Winter walked over to Tim. “You’re bleeding, my boy,” she said. She pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and pressed it against Tim’s face. “Hold it steady there for a bit,” she said.

  “I’ll be fine. I cut myself on some glass,” said Tim. “I have to keep looking.”

  “Maybe Carolyn went down the street behind the store,” suggested Emily.

  “You could be right,” said Mrs. Winter. “There’s a little park down that block. You can reach it from the lane that runs beside the store. Dogs love that park. Maybe Carolyn took Poppy there.”

  “I’m going to look right now!” said Tim.

  “Can we come with you this time?” asked Matt. “Carolyn might be stuck under something. It would be easier if you didn’t have to move or lift things alone.”

  “Poppy can help, too,” said Emily. “I bet he’ll know when we’re near Carolyn.”

  Tim nodded. “It’s hard to do this alone. But please be careful. There’s sharp debris everywhere. Let’s go.”

  As they stepped over a pile of bricks in front of the lane, Poppy began to bark. With each step Poppy barked louder and louder.

  “Poppy knows something,” said Emily. “I’m sure of it.”

  “There’s a large mound of broken glass coming up,” Tim said. “Watch your step.”

  “I’m picking Poppy up and carrying him,” said Emily. “I don’t want him to get cut.”

  The three friends stepped over the glass. They stepped over bricks, beams, and broken crates. They walked on and on down the dark narrow lane. They were close to the end of the lane.

  “Ouch!” screamed Emily.

  CHAPTER 9:

  Down a Dark Lane

  Tim and Matt turned around.

  “I tripped over some of the rubble, but I’m fine. Let’s keep going,” said Emily.

  Soon they could see the little park. Tree branches had toppled over on bushes. Benches were broken. It was a jungle of twigs and branches.

  “Wait,” said Matt. “I hear something.”

  “H-here,” said a small voice.

  “Carolyn!” shouted Tim. “Is that you? Tell us where you are.”

  “Help. Please!”

  “Where are you?” asked Tim, looking around. “I can’t see you. Can you describe where you are?”

  “Hurry…please,” was the only response.

  “What do we do now?” asked Matt.

  “Follow Poppy,” said Emily. “Look at the way he’s leaning. I think he wants us to look near that tree,” she added, pointing to a big old tree. Two of its large branches had come down in the blast. “I bet Carolyn’s near there.”

  “Let’s go,” said Tim.

  The three friends climbed over a jumble of twigs, sharp pine needles, and jagged branches.

  “Help! Tim, I’m here!”

  “I can hear you, Carolyn,” shouted Tim. “We’re coming. We’re close to you now.”

  Suddenly Poppy leaped out of Emily’s arms and ran over to the fallen branches. He stood beside them and barked.

  “Carolyn, are you under these branches?” asked Tim.

  “I’m under a bench. The tree fell on it. My ankle and arm hurt.”

  “Carolyn! I see you!” shouted Tim. “We’re going to get you out. We’re going to get you help. We just have to move the two big branches.”

  Matt and Tim tried to lift the larger branch, but it was so heavy they couldn’t budge it.

  “Let’s try again,” said Tim. “One. Two. Three. Lift!”

  They still couldn’t move it.

  “Let me help,” said Emily.

  Emily picked Poppy up and placed him down on a small patch of soil. “Don’t move,” she said.

  As if he understood the importance of what she was asking, the little dog didn’t budge.

  Emily, Matt, and Tim each held on to a different part of the branch.

  “One. Two. Three. Lift!” said Tim.

  The three friends huffed as they tried to pull the branch up and away from the bench. Slowly, slowly, it began to move. Slowly, slowly, they lifted it up and over.

  Then they moved the second branch. Now they could see Carolyn! Her arm was bruised and her ankle was swollen. Tim lifted the broken pieces of the bench away from his sister. Then he wrapped his arms around her. Poppy bounded over and licked her face.

  “I was so scared we wouldn’t find you,” said Tim.

 
“I thought I’d be stuck here forever,” said Carolyn. “I knew you’d look for me if you could, Tim. I went to the candy store to buy your favourite gumdrops for your birthday. I still have them in my pocket.”

  Tim smiled for the first time since Emily and Matt had met him. “I’ll have some gumdrops later. But finding you is the best birthday present. And meeting Emily and Matt is wonderful. They’ve taken care of Poppy and helped me find you. Can you walk?”

  “I don’t know. My ankle hurts a lot.”

  “I’ll carry you,” said Tim. He lifted his sister up.

  “We can pull Carolyn on our sled to the hospital,” said Emily.

  “The sled! Oh no!” said Matt. “We can’t. I don’t remember where it is. We may have left it—”

  “At the hospital!” said Emily.

  “Yes!” said Matt.

  “Don’t worry. I can carry Carolyn. She’s not heavy,” said Tim. “I’m sure you’ll find your sled there. But if you don’t, it’s just a sled. I’m sure you can get another one.”

  Matt gulped. “Not like this one.”

  CHAPTER 10:

  Where’s the Sled?

  Tim carried Carolyn. Emily and Matt followed with Poppy. As soon as they arrived, Matt and Emily peered around the entrance hall of the hospital. No sign of the sled.

  “Do you remember where you last saw it?” Emily asked Matt.

  “We had it when we were helping Andrew. Then we were so busy rushing around looking for Carolyn that we must have forgotten about it. Andrew could be anywhere. The sled could be anywhere.”

  The hospital overflowed with people. Doctors, nurses, and volunteers raced around bandaging people and offering them food and water.

  “Please help my sister,” said Tim to a nurse.

  The nurse quickly examined Carolyn’s arm and leg. “You’re a lucky girl. Nothing is broken. You have a nasty bruise on your arm and your ankle is sprained. If you can get some ice, put it on your ankle right away. Keep your leg up. Rest and you’ll be fine. I have to go now.”