09 All Clear

9 All Clear Jeb pushed open the cellar door. Daylight streamed in. He looked out. “ All clear, " he said. Jeb crawled out of the cellar. Jack followed him, then Annie, Will, Kate, and Miss Neely. The sky was gray above them. The twister had torn the roof off the dugout and sucked everything out, even the rug. They all stared in shock at the empty space.

Then Miss Neely smiled. “ Well, at least we are all safe, " she said. They stepped out of the hut. The air was thick with dust and bits of grass. The twister had cut a wide path of dirt and destruction across the prairie. It was still whirling away on the horizon.

Everyone watched silently as the twister became long and thin, like a piece of rope. Then it vanished completely. Miss Neely turned to Jack and Annie. “ You saved our lives, " she said. “ Thank you! " said Will. “ Thank you! " said Kate, hugging Annie. “ Jeb actually opened the cellar door, " said Jack. “ Yes! Thank you, too, Jeb! ” said Miss Neely.

The older boy only scowled. “ I hope you can get a new school, " said Annie. “ We will, " said Miss Neely. “ Just as we planted our fields again after the grasshopper attack, we'll build our school again after the twister. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Jack thought Miss Neely was one of the bravest people he'd ever met. “ You're a good teacher, " he said shyly. “ I love teaching, " she said. “ It's a job that lasts forever. Whatever you teach children today travels with them far into the future. " “ That's true! " said Annie. Jack smiled. “ Well, we better leave-again, " he said. “ Bye! ” Everyone waved, except Jeb.

Jack and Annie started across the prairie, back toward the tree house. They hadn't gone far when Jack heard someone shout his name. He turned around. It was Jeb. “ Wait! ” the older boy yelled. He had a fierce look on his face. He started running toward them. “ Oh no, ” Jack breathed. Did Jeb still want to fight? “ Leave us alone! " Annie said angrily. “ Shh, Annie, ” said Jack. “ Let's see what he wants. ” When Jeb got close to them, he stopped. He looked right at Jack. “ Why did you come back?" he asked. “ We wanted to tell you about the storm cellar, " said Jack.

“ How did you know about that cellar?’ Jeb said. Jack pulled their research book out of his leather bag. “ We read about it in this book, " he said. Jeb stared at the book. Then he sighed.