Chapter 1. The Tornado

Dorothy lived in the heart of the vast Kansas prairies with her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em. Uncle Henry was a farmer, and Aunt Em was his wife. Their house was small because they had to carry the lumber to build it for many miles by wagon.

The house had four walls, a floor, and a roof. It only had one room. Inside this room was a rusty-looking cooking stove. There was also a dish cupboard, a table, three or four chairs, and two beds. Uncle Henry and Aunt Em had a large bed in one corner. Dorothy had a small bed in another corner.

The house had a small hole in the ground, a tornado cellar. The family would go there if a strong tornado came up, which could destroy any building on its way.

A trap door was in the middle of the floor to reach the tornado cellar. A ladder from this door led down into the small, dark hole.

When Dorothy stood in the doorway and looked around, all she could see was the large gray prairie on every side. There were no trees or houses that interrupted the vast, flat landscape. This landscape stretched to the edge of the sky in all directions.

The sun had turned the plowed land into a gray mass. The land had little cracks running through it. The grass wasn't even green. The sun had scorched the tops of the grass blades. Now, they were the same gray color as everything else.

Once upon a time, the house had been painted. But the sun caused the paint to bubble up. The rain washed the color away. Now, the house looked as dull and gray as everything else.

When Aunt Em moved there, she was a young and attractive girl. But the sun and the wind had changed her as well. They had dulled her once sparkling eyes to a shade of gray. Her cheeks and lips, once red, were now also gray. She looked skinny, worn out, and never smiled anymore.

Dorothy, an orphan, came to live with them. At first, Dorothy's laughter startled Aunt Em so much that she would scream. Aunt Em would place her hand upon her heart whenever she heard Dorothy's joyful voice. Even now, she looked at the little girl with amazement, wondering how she could find anything to laugh at.

Uncle Henry never laughed. He worked tirelessly from sunrise to sunset. Uncle Henry didn't know how to feel happy. He was also gray, from his long beard to his rugged boots. He had a stern and severe look and didn't talk much.

It was Toto who made Dorothy laugh and brought joy to her life. He kept her from becoming as gray as everything else around her. Toto wasn't gray. He was a small black dog. He had long, silky fur and small black eyes. They sparkled with joy on either side of his funny, little nose. Dorothy played with Toto all day long. She loved him very much.

But today, they weren't playing. Uncle Henry sat on the doorstep, anxiously looking at the sky. The sky was even more gray than usual. Dorothy stood in the doorway, holding Toto in her arms. She was also looking at the sky. Meanwhile, Aunt Em was busy washing the dishes.

They heard a low, mournful sound of the wind coming from the far north. Uncle Henry and Dorothy could see the long grass bending in waves, indicating an approaching storm. Then, a sharp whistling sound came from the south. As they turned their eyes in that direction, they saw the grass rippling there too.

All of a sudden, Uncle Henry got up.

"There's a tornado coming, Em," he shouted to his wife. "I'll go check on the animals." Then he ran towards the sheds where they kept the cows and horses.

Aunt Em stopped washing the dishes and came to the door. She quickly realized that the danger was near.

"Quick, Dorothy!" she yelled. "Run to the cellar!"

At this moment, Toto jumped out of Dorothy's arms and hid under the bed. Dorothy started to reach out for him. Aunt Em, scared, opened the trapdoor on the floor. She climbed down the ladder into a small, dark hole. Finally, Dorothy managed to catch Toto and started to follow her aunt. A loud screech came from the wind as she made her way across the room. The house shook so violently that Dorothy lost her balance. She ended up abruptly sitting down on the floor.

Next, a strange thing happened.

The house rotated two or three times and slowly lifted off the ground. Dorothy felt like she was going up in a hot air balloon.

It was very dark, and the wind howled horribly around her. However, Dorothy discovered that her ride was surprisingly smooth. She felt a gentle rocking after the initial spins and a scary moment when the house tilted drastically. It was like a baby being cradled.

Toto did not like it. He ran around the room, barking loudly. But Dorothy remained seated on the floor, quietly waiting to see what would happen next.

At one point, Toto got too close to an open trap door and fell in. Dorothy first thought she had lost him. Then she noticed one of his ears sticking up through the hole. The strong wind was holding him up, preventing him from falling through. She crawled to the hole, caught Toto by the ear, and pulled him back into the room. She then closed the trap door to prevent further accidents like that.

As hours passed, Dorothy gradually calmed down from her initial fear. But she felt so alone, and the wind's loud wailing was almost deafening. Dorothy initially worried about the house shattering when it landed. However, as time passed and nothing terrible happened, she stopped worrying. Dorothy decided to remain calm and wait to see what would happen next. Finally, she walked across the unstable floor to her bed and lay down. Toto followed her and lay down next to her.

Despite the house's swaying and the wind's mournful wail, Dorothy soon closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.