I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011

After following the storm for a few miles, Dr. Gage pulls the car over. He and Dex stand by a cornfield and regard the thickening, darkening cloud, which Dr. Gage calls “a perfect cumulonimbus cloud,” the kind that creates tornadoes (42). Though he suspects the cloud is “losing strength,” he invites Dex to shoot the sound pods into the sky (42). Dex imagines how excited Jeremy would be if he were here and is momentarily overcome with worry for his brother, but just then, bolts of lightning tear open the cloud, which has turned black and billowing. Dex feels the electricity in the air. Realizing the storm is dangerous, Dr. Gage grabs Dex to get them away from the lightning, which hits a nearby tree, causing it to explode. Rain pours down, followed by hail. Dr. Gage orders Dex to cover his head, but a huge hailstone crashes into him. He falls to the ground.

Dr. Gage helps Dex back to his car, which now has a cracked windshield, and gives him an ice pack for the lump on his head. After the hail stops, Dr. Gage retrieves a large hailstone as a “souvenir” for Dex (48). He notes that it smells like mint and imagines showing it to his friends at school the next day.