When the water suddenly receded, it almost took them both out the building with it. Mary’s lost footing and Allie’s helplessness combined to wreck havoc on both her and Mary’s bodies as they slammed against furniture and other objects that the rush of water had moved from their usual moorings.
Discombobulated, Allie grasped for anything she could get her hands on. If not for Mary O’Toole’s quick thinking when she spread her arms wide and caught hold the doorframe to block their exit, they would have both washed out into the harbor, which now surrounded the house. Crashing into Mary, Allie clung to her for dear life!
Allie heard Gabriel and Willie saying something, but she was too concerned with trying to save her life than to try to listen to the boys. Suddenly, Mary yelled for the boys to stay put. Allie turned to see them trying to come to where she and Mary were. She could tell from their expressions that both boys were terrified.
“Y’all listen to Mary,” she yelled to the boys. They both stopped and went back to the staircase. Mary made it to her feet before the rushing water returned; she closed the heavy wooden door and locked …show more content…
“You mean it’s not yet over,” asked Allie.
“Noam, it may be halfway if we’re lucky,” Mary replied, “that is why the water rushed outward a while ago. If it is a hurricane, the wind will now change and blow from the opposite direction.”
Although Allie’s windows and doors were shuttered against the storm that was still furiously blowing, she had to fight with herself to keep from going out onto the balcony; she wanted badly to stand out there and inhale the scent of the storm, but she knew it was dangerous and she did not want to put the others at risk. Mary and the boys hunkered down to ride out the storm in Gabriel’s room, but it felt too claustrophobic for Allie. She tried to stay in there with them, but felt smothered.
After pacing the floor for about an hour, Allie lit a lamp and got out her journal- thinking that maybe if she wrote about how she felt and what she was thinking about, it would help her relax.
August 5,