The Dust
Kim, Sarah, and their mom, Bridget, lived in Oklahoma some time ago, around the early 1900’s, when the great miserable dust bowl in which engulfed most of the Midwest. There was no grass what so ever to be found on the ground. All you could do inhale was the air which in turn felt like dust was consuming your lungs. Kim and Sarah hated having to stay inside consistently and got blinded by dirt and dust if they chose dumb enough to go outside. But little did anyone know there was something else out there that was a lot more harmful than dirt and dust, something neither the kids nor the mother had ever seen. The people that did see it probably didn’t get to live to tell about it.
The girls Kim and Sarah were only a year apart in age from each other. Sarah was nine and Kim was eight. Both girls naturally had blonde hair at first until the horrible dust storms turned Sarah’s hair to an almost brown color and her mom couldn’t explain it. The girls were only allowed to go outside if there were no signs of dusts storms which were rarely often. The dust usually ran over half the state at once like a huge hurricane only made of pure dirt and grime. It was a horrible time for everyone at an immense price to pay. Kim and Sarah had been in the house for at least two weeks straight and their family was running out of food. There was absolutely no way to farm anything or hunt because of the ridiculous dust. The kids became dull and bored out of their minds. They awaited a day to go outside and free their minds from their so though misery. One day came and finally the girls decided this was their moment to go outside and have some fun. The dust storms had cleared up for about awhile, so it seemed to be completely safe to go outside off for a short time as long as the winds didn’t pick up. The girls went outside to find out that all their cool little toys they played on blew away or were buried in sand and dirt. Once again they found themselves with nothing to do. This was their only moment they had in a long time to have fun so they really didn’t care where or what they had to do to get there. They started walking toward what looked like a giant mountain. It took only five minutes to get a visual of the object and it turned out to be a bus that had overturned onto a tree which looked much bigger to the young girls. Disappointed in their efforts to have some fun they turn back to the house. The dust has grown much taller now and the girls don’t know exactly where the house is and are disoriented in where they are. They walk toward what looks like to be the house but it is again the bus on the tree that they were just at. The huge cloud of dust was growing closer and the girls were very scared and still disoriented of where the house was. They started walking in a single direction just hoping that the house would show up in their direction and save them from getting into major trouble and also possibly being suffocated by the dust. There were sounds they had never heard before going on when there should have just been the howling and whistling of the winds. It sounded like a howling not like the wind at all but like a ear piercing scratching of the chalkboard howling. The girls started running away as good as possible from the denser part of the dust storm as they could see. But the storm seemed to be moving much to fast to be a dust storm. It seemed to travel as fast as the big metal cars on the tracks across from the girls’ house. But it came into view and it wasn’t anything the girls ever thought they would see. It was a monstrous, crimson colored lizard like beast, but the young children could not clearly see his true repulsive appearance due to all the dust. The girls started running in tremendous fear.
Sarah, who was well known for her running ability, left Kim behind in hurry. She only happened to look back when she heard the screams of Kim who was so far behind, and about to be attacked by the creature that followed them. Sarah began yelling in the direction that Kim trailed. It was so amazingly hard to see through the immense dust in the Oklahoma air. Every time the young Sarah looked back for her even younger sister who she could not even see the shape of her sister’s body from the limited visibly. There was no other choice Sarah had to turn around, and try with every fiber of her being to find Kim. Even though Sarah had only been nine years of age, she still knew that a monster was chasing them both and she had to save her sister.
Kim cries tortured Sarah for she could not see what was happening to her. At least her voice let Sarah know she was still alive. Sarah was faster than ever on this day, and yet she wore a dress her mother made and not to mention the horrible dust storm. The lizard like beast screams was loud and agonizing. Sarah called out for Kim. Kim responds with cries for help from Sarah. Kim lets out an noise of pain that Sarah had never heard. And then, there was silence. Sarah was running, and running looking for her younger sister. All she heard was the beast that now seemed to be only after her for it was evident Kim was no longer alive. She had to keep herself from thinking about Kim, she’d cry later. Right now, Sarah was now on the brink of death and that was all that mattered. Sarah had known the land very well (has always been her home), but the dust storm made it were she could not see anything at all. Running trying to avoid the creature that killed her sister, Sarah caught a glimpse of the gigantic, red barn built by their grand pappy as the girls always called him. She ran as fast as she could to get to some realm of safety.
Sarah made it into the barn, but the creature followed for he could see so much better than the girl that only stood four feet five nine inches, and the beast was clearly at least ten feet in size. Sarah scared to death, hid underneath the stairs were the hay was placed. The barn had dust in the air, but the visibility was almost perfect in the barn. The lizard beast could easily spot her if she let herself be noticed.
The creature was making so much noise, throwing everything in his path to get to this young girl. Sarah was so terrified. He was so close to finding Sarah. Whatever it was was now tearing through the hay where she was hiding. Sarah in a desperate attempt to run out of the barn is seen. The vicious animal lunges toward Sarah landing almost on her. It grabs a hold of Sarah, and begins to pull her close. She screams in horror knowing what next. The huge creature pulls her closer to his mouth, and she cries. “Wake up! Sarah, wake up!” Sarah awakes from being violently shaking by her younger sister Kim. “You were crying, and momma said breakfast is ready.” Sarah lets out a sigh of extreme relief and gets ready for the day.
The day was what seemed to be a calmer one than usual compared to the normal horrid dust storms, which of course made Sarah a little less tense form the awful dream she had believed to be as real as night and day. So, today she thought maybe she go outside and play.
Bridgett, the girl’s mother, was placing breakfast on the table, and asked young Sarah, “How was your dream? I heard you crying and screaming.” “Yes.” Sarah replies calmly. “But I’m ok.” “No, you’re not.” states her mother in an unusually deep, scary voice. The younger sister, Kim, walks in, but this is not same Kim. Her appearance was unbearable. Flesh ripped from off her body, and blood all over her. “This is your reality now. Welcome to Hell.” All of a sudden her mother transforms back into the repulsive, huge, and crimson monster. “I am not monster or creature of this world. You are dead.” It states ever so commonly. “Now it is time.” Sarah screams and then there is silence.
