Week 10 Storytelling: The Girl Who Ignored a Severe Weather Warning

It was a dark and stormy night and Kate was at dinner with her parents. She knew that the weather was supposed to get pretty severe that night, but she wasn't worried. Her parents decided to take her to dinner at their favorite Chinese restaurant. Just after Kate and her parents had received their food, the owner of the restaurant turned the TV on to the news.

Kate heard the meteorologist say that everyone in the Kansas City area needed to take cover as a EF-4 tornado was about to move through the city. Soon after they had watched the meteorologist on TV, Kate heard the tornado sirens in the area begin to go off. Kate didn't worry. There had never been a tornado that had touched down in her hometown ever since she was born. Kate was pretty sure that they were going to be okay, but she had a weird feeling about this storm this time.

"Mom, are you sure we shouldn't take cover?" Kate asked her mom.

"Kate, I'm sure we'll be fine," her mom answered back.

After dinner, Kate and her parents returned home. Kate began to receive an influx of texts on her phone asking if she was okay during the storm. A tornado had just touched down in one of the towns right outside of Kansas City. Kate found out on social media that several people she went to high school had just lost their homes, their cars, everything. Kate was in total shock. She texted anyone in the area that she knew to make sure that they were okay. She was going to have to rely on social media for the rest of the people she knew.

("Dimmitt Tornado1-NOAA". Source: Wikimedia Commons)

That next morning, Kate learned that everyone she went to high school with was safe. The Kansas City area came together to donate clothes, food, gift cards, and many other things that victims of the tornado could need. People donated food and towels to animal shelters and posted pictures of animals they found in the debris of the damaged neighborhoods so they could be reunited with their owners.

As Kate watched the news and saw interviews of survivors of the tornado, she truly realized how lucky she was to still be alive. She began to realize the things that truly matter in life---to enjoy every day in life because you never know when that day might be your last. To hug your family members and friends and tell them how much you love them. Kate also knew that she would never take a severe storm lightly again.

Author's Note: I based this story off of two things: my own personal experience and "The Woodpecker's Stumpy Tail" from When The Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends retold by Florence Stratton (1936). Over this past winter break on the day after Christmas, my hometown was hit by a tornado. People I knew lost everything they had--and what really hit everyone the hardest was the fact that it happened the day after Christmas. The victims of the tornado had just spent the previous day with their family members and friends. Little did they know what was about to happen that next day. I remember that night when the sirens went off I wasn't worried at all because attending OU I learned that tornadoes occurred every May like clockwork. Needless to say, I will never take a severe storm lightly ever again.
This story was also based off "The Woodpecker's Stumpy Tail" from the Tejas Legends Unit. In this story, a frog warns the birds and the indians that a flood is coming. The woodpecker and the indians didn't listen to him. Many of the indians died and the woodpecker ended up getting his tail bitten off by a fish because he was too close to the water. Needless to say, being so close to a severe storm will teach you to listen to warnings in the future!

Week 10 Reading Diary B: Tejas Legends

Why Hummingbirds Drink Only Dew: I thought it was interesting that the indians have an answer for why the hummingbird only drinks nectar from flowers. I thought it was foolish of the hummingbird to assume that the heron could not fly in the dark as well. I like that the hummingbird has forever kept to his word to not drink from any bodies of water. I think that shows that the hummingbird has strength.

("Hummingbird". Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Old Quanah's Gift: I thought it was sad that Quanah could no longer fight with his tribe, but I thought it was incredible that he spent his whole life making this special blanket. I thought it was very kind of the tribe to want to give it to Quanah, and it showed that Quanah still cared a lot for his people when he gave them the fire wheel flower. 

Maidens Who Broke a Drought: I thought it was disturbing that the medicine man said the only way to end the drought was for the maidens to be eaten by the chief of the snakes. It made me cringe reading about them lining up and jumping off the side of the cliff. I thought it was nice for the goddess to turn them into flowers instead of letting them die. I am glad that the chief of the snakes was afraid of this because I didn't think he sounded that nice to begin with. 

The Cottonwood Remembers: I thought it was rude that the owl decided to attack the pigeon because he thought that they were talking to him. I thought it was rude for him to kill the pigeon. The pigeon didn't do anything to him and it was just a misunderstanding! I thought it was fair for the Great Spirit to make the owl blind during the day as his punishment. I also thought it was fair for the Great Spirit to make the loon only able to swim at night alone. Those who laugh and make fun of others are often suffering themselves. 

Why the Dog's Ears Flop: I thought it was mean that the wolves decided to pick on the dog since they used to be friends. I also thought it was rude of the indians to beat the dog to the point where he became weak and ashamed. I wished the indians would have given the dog a chance to tell them what had really happened. 

Week 10 Reading Diary A: Tejas Legends

When the Storm God Rides: I like how this story told how the islands on Texas's coast were formed. I also like that the Storm God created the islands as a safe haven for the birds to be able to escape the indians. I thought that was nice of him. I also thought it was interesting that the indians were afraid of the Storm God's bird even though they killed smaller birds themselves. I also thought it was interesting that the indians think that the Storm God's bird takes the shape of a hurricane. That is so scary!

(illustrations by Berniece Burrough)

Why the Woodpecker Pecks: I thought this story showed how stupid people can be when they get addicted to drugs. They forget about everything else in life and just focus on how they can get more of the drug. I think this would make a great Storytelling post--to tell a story about someone who gets addicted to drugs and forgets about everything else around them. I also thought it was a good punishment for the god to turn them into woodpeckers. However, I thought it was mean that the god to this day still keeps the indians' children away from them. I think the parents should have been given a second chance to make things right.

The Woodpecker's Stumpy Tail: I thought it was interesting that the woodpecker has a stumpy tail because it got bitten off by a fish. I thought it would have been wise for the indians and the woodpecker to listen to the frog like the other birds. I bet they will listen next time they hear the frog say that a flood is coming! If I were to use this story for my Storytelling post this week, I could tell a story about a natural disaster that struck and no one listened to any of the warnings about it.

A Tribe That Left Its Shoes: I thought this was a sweet story in the end. It was horrifying to picture the indians' island literally collapsing underneath them and the people losing their homes. I thought it was sweet that their moccasins that they left turned into orchids so the young tribe members could find their way back to the island when it came back. If I were to use this story for my Storytelling post this week, I would base it off of Hansel and Gretel because they left a trail of crumbs so they could find their way back home just like the indians did.

The Swift Blue One: I thought this story was really a story about a horse that could not be tamed. I think that if I were to use this story for my Storytelling post, I would tell a story about how someone couldn't change the way they were. I think this story is important because it shows that sometimes you just have to let things go and accept the way they are.