12. Play Ball!

PLAY BALL! 12 The strange dust storm grew bigger. More and more dirt whirled and spun in the air. A kickball was sucked into the storm. Teachers wiped at their eyes. Students spit out dirt. "This is crazy!" Sam cried from beneath the bleachers. "We need to do something!" Lucy shouted over the wind.

Just then, Mr. Nekobi bounded onto the field. "Principal Winik! You must call off the game!" he shouted. "Yes!" Principal Winik yelled, as he shielded himself from the storm. "Teachers: Please lead your students inside!"

Dirt pounded the metal backstop like thundering rain. The swirling dirt made it difficult for the teachers to collect their students. From his hiding place, Sam watched kids rush around. He squinted as Mr. Nekobi led the parade of teachers and students off the field and into the school. "Phew," Lucy said. "It looks like everyone made it inside." WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! The wind beat across the field. The storm settled above the pitcher's mound. "HELP!" a voice shouted over the wind.

Sam saw that one student was still on the field: a kindergartner named Ollie. The dirt was whipping around and Ollie shielded his eyes. The boy couldn't see Sam and his friends. "Oh no!" Sam said. "Ollie was left behind!" Lucy rushed out from under the bleachers and sprinted onto the field. Antonio and Sam raced after her. But the instant the friends set foot on the field, the storm zigzagged toward them. "Ow!" Antonio cried. "Dirt is pelting my face!"

"It stings!" Lucy said. "We need to cover our faces!" Sam looked down at the sash. He paused, then quickly took it off and tore it into three pieces. "Here! Use these like bandannas!" Sam yelled, as he tied a piece of the sash over his nose and mouth.

The storm was so thick that they couldn't see. But the swirling dust calmed for a moment— and they saw Ollie was gone! "Where did Ollie go?" Antonio shouted. Sam looked all around. "He must've been scooped up by Orson's dust storm! We need to find him!" "It's not going to be easy!" Lucy said, as she pointed at the outfield. Thick clouds of dirt and dust were rolling in and settling over the field. Sam could no longer see the school.