Doomsday at the Ranch

It was a cold, snow covered day in the mountains near Yellowstone National Park. The 12 inches of snow had crusted over and a lone figure covered in a thick, black snow suit tramped through the crunchy top layer. Ice was more like it. Ice cleats which covered the hiking boots made a scraping sound and that was the only sound heard for miles. Emily was alone today. Her horse Beauty was at home in the warm barn enjoying the warm company of the other farm animals. The emptiness of the surroundings meant that all the forest creatures were safely tucked into their nests and holes leaving Emily the only living thing crazy enough to go for a walk in it.

The earth trembled beneath her feet rocking the mountains 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 she counted. The tremors stopped and the world stood still again. “Whew!” Emily let out her breath she’d been holding for a five seconds. No matter how many Earth Quakes she felt it was always a little scary. She fingered the locket on her neck. Too bad Beauty wasn’t here to comfort her. Beauty’s steady breathing and calm demeanor always comforted her. She thought of the warm stables in the barn at home. She would have to bring her a sugar cube when she got home, she could see the top of the roof now – covered in snow. Everything in the barnyard was hidden under a thick white blanket.

“Hello Beauty” She whispered as stroked her mare’s soft black fur. Beauty nuzzled into Emily’s soft now warm hand. Another quake shook the barn as Emily stroked Beauty for comfort. The barn door swung open letting in a bitter cold breeze. “I thought I saw you come in here Emily!” Her Dad Henry seemed excited as he shut the bar door. His eyes were dancing in the little bit of light let into the barn through the window. “What is it? Did we get the ranch?” Emily didn’t want to get her hopes up. A Rach in Texas sounded like a big move, especially since they would be bringing not only Beauty, but also Bessy the milk cow, Sweet and Sour, their pair of pigs and so many other animals. “Yep!” Dad’s eyes bounced with happiness. “Get your stuff packed. We’re moving to Texas!”

The Earth quaked as if to warn them to hurry as the Dillard family packed the last of their belongings into their truck. “I can’t say I’m going to miss the Earth quakes” Henry settled into the driver’s seat. Waved at the rest of the family who were pulling the other horse trailer full of animals behind their other truck. “This is going to be a long trip” he said. Then, “It’s hard to believe we’re leaving Montana.” Emily, who chose to ride with Dad this trip, could tell he was choking back tears as much as she was. “Bye Montana” She smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek. She couldn’t help by think she would never see her precious Montana again. No. That’s silly, of course we’ll see Montana again. The Volcano isn’t going to blow. It’ll settle down and be normal again soon. She tried to assure herself, but it was no use. She still felt impending room as she thought of all the friends and neighbors she was leaving behind.

The earth shook violently, almost knocking their trailer off the road multiple times as they left. Mom and the boys trailed behind and always seemed to keep up. Good thing Mom was a great driver!

Becky was the mother of four kids, but her only daughter was definitely a Daddy’s girl. That was a good thing though. Henry had taught Becky a lot about farming and ranching in the beginning years of their marriage. She remembered the sore muscles as she worked the soil, chopped wood and fed the animals while Henry had worked cattle and grown their ranch into a beautiful business. Now they were leaving it all behind. 150 acres of the most beautiful Ranch Montana. Why did they sell again? Oh yes. The Earth Quakes. So many people didn’t believe the Yellowstone Super Volcano would ever erupt. - But they didn’t live a near the fault line either. There were hundreds of quakes every week now. Some of them violent enough to knock dishes out of the cupboards and even though the buyer insisted on paying full price, Becky still couldn’t decide if they should have sold it to him at all. But it did give them enough money to buy an even bigger ranch in Texas. At 300 acres, they were sure to make a happy home there. Becky couldn’t help but think of the friends she was leaving behind. Most of whom wouldn’t budge. She took one last deep breath and let it out slowly as the quakes became more violent. It was in fact, a good thing both she and her husband were great driver’s.

That spring the garden was planted in their new home and Becky, Henry and their children Emily, David, Ben, and George were enjoying a home cooked meal around the table when the lights flickered, then turned off. “I’ll get the flashlights” said Becky. Henry brought out the kerosene lantern from the garage and lit it. The earth shook a little.

Emily peaked out the door. Black soot covered everything. “Quick! Shut the door” Becky shouted as they all coughed a little. “Do we need to go to the cellar?” she asked Henry. “I think we should.” He replied grabbing a large bowl of mashed potatoes. “Emily, boys, can you grab some of the food please? “ Becky handed out some side dishes as they all headed down stairs, unfolded the folding table and chairs and set up dinner in the basement. “I’d better go get the salad dressing.” Said Becky. As she headed up for one last thing. The whole house rocked a bit, not nearly as intense as it had been in Montana, but Becky was definitely a little shaken by it. Was that a set of headlights? She couldn’t be sure, but it looked like a vehicle was coming up the driveway. It was so windy Becky didn’t want to go out so she waved from the front porch. It was her Sister Laura and her whole family! Six kids and a husband. “Oh my!” She ran out to their car, grabbed a couple of babies and headed towards the house. “Come on, let’s all go down to the basement!” Becky shouted above the storm and they all followed her to the basement.

“Oh my goodness! We didn’t know you were all coming or we’d have made more!” Becky Chatted as she brought out some paper plates and opened some canned peaches. “We thought we’d surprise you!” Laura said. As the Earth shook another couple of times. “Well, you’re just in time for dinner.” The family ate their dinner as calmly as they could. Although the adults could tell there was definitely something strange going on, they tried not to fear the worst. They stayed in the basement until the wind seemed to suddenly die down. It was morning. And as far as they could see, several inches of black soot covered the ground.

“The electricity is back on!” Henry shouted. Everyone headed to the television. “Heart Breaking news! The Yellowstone Super volcano has erupted leaving hundreds of thousands of people dead… “ the news host shakily reported. Becky and Laura hugged each other. “I’m so glad you're here! “ Becky knew her sister and their family would have most likely been killed if they wouldn’t have come.

Emily clutched the locket she wore on her neck. It was the last picture she had of her friend Jessica from Montana. She knew she and hundreds of thousands of people were probably dead. Of course her heart broke over the news, but she was glad her own family was safe. “What about Beauty?” she panicked a little. It had been pretty intense out there. Hopefully the animals were fine. Emily ran towards the barn.

Beauty whinnied as Emily opened the door. All was well. Beauty and Bessie, Sweet and Sour and all other animals were fine. “Let’s hose you off!” Emily nuzzled her favorite horse. Henry came in behind and led the other animals out into the yard. They were all filthy and the air had a weird pink Hayes to it for a couple of days. It felt strange being fine while the rest of their old neighbors and friends in Montana had most likely died. Of course nothing was the same when they went to town anymore. The whole country mourned the tragic loss of so many people. Laura and her family stayed with them for a couple of years. Otherwise, the family went on to live as they had before. - The End.