Chapter 1: The News
It started like any other day: school, work, and detention for Pepper Ann. However, by the end of the day, all of Hazelnut would drop what they are doing and panic in the streets. That evening's news had everyone shaking in their Air Fuzzies.
"This is Sherry Spleen reporting from Town Hall in Central Hazelnut, where the mayor is about to make what he described as 'an earth-shattering announcement.' We can only speculate on what it might be, and - oh, wait. Here he comes now."
The mayor of Hazelnut stepped on the stage that had been set up, grabbed the microphone, and began his speech. "Citizens of Hazelnut, by now you must be wondering what the construction in Lupkin Park is all about. Well, now is the time to tell you that it serves as a giant bomb shelter. Scientists have discovered that there is a meteor approximately four miles in diameter hurtling toward Earth, and its trajectory is sending it directly to this very town. What this meteor does not crush, the radiation will destroy. However, there is no need to fear..."
No one bothered to listen to the rest of the announcement. They were all too busy running around in abject terror. Pepper Ann and her little sister, Moose, were shivering underneath their beds. Their mother, Lydia, had already joined the horrified crowd in the streets.
Pepper Ann's two best friends, Milo and Nicky, were playing Antitrust with Nicky's parents when they heard the news. Milo hid in the bathroom, Nicky rushed to her bedroom, and Mr. and Mrs. Little made a beeline for the basement. Once Nicky had reminded herself that there was a shelter and regained her composure, she called Pepper Ann.
When Pepper Ann heard the phone ring, she banged her head on the underside of the bed. "Ouch!" Fortunately, she could reach the phone from where she was, so she carefully picked it up. "H-H-Hello?"
"You've heard the news, too, huh? Don't panic, not yet. We still don't know how long we have, and I decided that since the announcement was so big, I had to get it on tape. If you're frozen with fear, I can come over there. Either way, we can watch what we missed together."
Five minutes later, Nicky knocked on Pepper Ann's bedroom door. No answer. She tried to open it. Locked. "Fuzzy!" After pounding on the door several times, she screamed, "Pepper Ann, it's just me! Nicky!"
Knowing that she had a friend nearby, Pepper Ann found the courage to crawl out from under her bed and open the door. She couldn't say a word.
Nicky waved her hand in front of Pepper Ann's face. Nothing. Acupressure wasn't going to work this time, either. This was too serious. She snapped her fingers where she had waved her hand. Still nothing. As a last resort, she reared back and slapped Pepper Ann square in the face.
That got her going. "Nicky! You got the tape? Great! Let's see what we missed."
They advanced the tape to where they had cut the mayor off. "However, there is no need to fear. The meteor will not hit for another four weeks, and the shelter is constructed of reinforced titanium. There is no way any fragment of this meteor or radiation is getting through the walls of this thing, so we'll be here to rebuild. I'm afraid that's the best we can do. You have been warned."
After hearing this, Pepper Ann calmed down somewhat. "I'm all right. You know, this reminds me of the time Principal Hickey told me that nothing short of Armageddon would get him to close school. Well, here it is, at least for this town. I guess we're not going to school tomorrow." They got a chuckle out of that comment, but it didn't last long.
"Milo's probably still in my parents' bathroom. Let's see if we can pry him out."
"I don't know, Nicky. I don't think I should leave this house."
"Come on, Pepper Ann. Milo needs both of us. Besides, it's not like this rock is going to hit while we're on our way there."
Reluctantly, Pepper Ann said, "All right."
It took forty-five minutes for them to get through the crowd and reach Nicky's house. Sure enough, Milo was still barricaded in the bathroom. Nicky knocked on the door and said, "Milo? Come on out."
Pepper Ann decided that Milo needed to hear her voice. "Milo, if I can crawl out from under my bed, you can sure as Fuzzy come out of there."
"PA?" He opened the door. Comforted by the sight of his two best friends, he stepped across the threshold and into the hallway. Almost immediately, the three of them went into a group hug. After he heard the whole story, he said, "So what are we going to do?"
Nicky wished she could give a favorable answer to that question. "All we can do is hide in the shelter - and hope."
That was when Pepper Ann remembered her little sister. "I've got to find Moose! Hold on, I'll be right back!" She didn't have her blades on, so she had to run. When she got home, she was winded, but still managed to call her sister out. "Moose!"
"Peppie? Where are you?"
"I'm in the living room. Come on out. There's a gathering at Nicky's house, and you shouldn't be alone at a time like this."
Moose slowly emerged from her hiding place. When she saw her older sister, she hugged her.
"Don't worry, Moose. I'm with you all the way."
Together, they went to Nicky's. By this time, the streets were cleared out, so it didn't take very long to get there. When they arrived, Pepper Ann called her father, Chuck.
Chuck had been flying his blimp all day and had not heard the news. When he heard his daughter's shaky voice, he started to worry. "Peppie, what's wrong?"
Pepper Ann told him about the news and where she was. "Good gravy! I'll be there as soon as I can." He was there in thirty minutes. As friends and family members huddled around, they wondered what would become of their beloved town.
TO BE CONTINUED
It started like any other day: school, work, and detention for Pepper Ann. However, by the end of the day, all of Hazelnut would drop what they are doing and panic in the streets. That evening's news had everyone shaking in their Air Fuzzies.
"This is Sherry Spleen reporting from Town Hall in Central Hazelnut, where the mayor is about to make what he described as 'an earth-shattering announcement.' We can only speculate on what it might be, and - oh, wait. Here he comes now."
The mayor of Hazelnut stepped on the stage that had been set up, grabbed the microphone, and began his speech. "Citizens of Hazelnut, by now you must be wondering what the construction in Lupkin Park is all about. Well, now is the time to tell you that it serves as a giant bomb shelter. Scientists have discovered that there is a meteor approximately four miles in diameter hurtling toward Earth, and its trajectory is sending it directly to this very town. What this meteor does not crush, the radiation will destroy. However, there is no need to fear..."
No one bothered to listen to the rest of the announcement. They were all too busy running around in abject terror. Pepper Ann and her little sister, Moose, were shivering underneath their beds. Their mother, Lydia, had already joined the horrified crowd in the streets.
Pepper Ann's two best friends, Milo and Nicky, were playing Antitrust with Nicky's parents when they heard the news. Milo hid in the bathroom, Nicky rushed to her bedroom, and Mr. and Mrs. Little made a beeline for the basement. Once Nicky had reminded herself that there was a shelter and regained her composure, she called Pepper Ann.
When Pepper Ann heard the phone ring, she banged her head on the underside of the bed. "Ouch!" Fortunately, she could reach the phone from where she was, so she carefully picked it up. "H-H-Hello?"
"You've heard the news, too, huh? Don't panic, not yet. We still don't know how long we have, and I decided that since the announcement was so big, I had to get it on tape. If you're frozen with fear, I can come over there. Either way, we can watch what we missed together."
Five minutes later, Nicky knocked on Pepper Ann's bedroom door. No answer. She tried to open it. Locked. "Fuzzy!" After pounding on the door several times, she screamed, "Pepper Ann, it's just me! Nicky!"
Knowing that she had a friend nearby, Pepper Ann found the courage to crawl out from under her bed and open the door. She couldn't say a word.
Nicky waved her hand in front of Pepper Ann's face. Nothing. Acupressure wasn't going to work this time, either. This was too serious. She snapped her fingers where she had waved her hand. Still nothing. As a last resort, she reared back and slapped Pepper Ann square in the face.
That got her going. "Nicky! You got the tape? Great! Let's see what we missed."
They advanced the tape to where they had cut the mayor off. "However, there is no need to fear. The meteor will not hit for another four weeks, and the shelter is constructed of reinforced titanium. There is no way any fragment of this meteor or radiation is getting through the walls of this thing, so we'll be here to rebuild. I'm afraid that's the best we can do. You have been warned."
After hearing this, Pepper Ann calmed down somewhat. "I'm all right. You know, this reminds me of the time Principal Hickey told me that nothing short of Armageddon would get him to close school. Well, here it is, at least for this town. I guess we're not going to school tomorrow." They got a chuckle out of that comment, but it didn't last long.
"Milo's probably still in my parents' bathroom. Let's see if we can pry him out."
"I don't know, Nicky. I don't think I should leave this house."
"Come on, Pepper Ann. Milo needs both of us. Besides, it's not like this rock is going to hit while we're on our way there."
Reluctantly, Pepper Ann said, "All right."
It took forty-five minutes for them to get through the crowd and reach Nicky's house. Sure enough, Milo was still barricaded in the bathroom. Nicky knocked on the door and said, "Milo? Come on out."
Pepper Ann decided that Milo needed to hear her voice. "Milo, if I can crawl out from under my bed, you can sure as Fuzzy come out of there."
"PA?" He opened the door. Comforted by the sight of his two best friends, he stepped across the threshold and into the hallway. Almost immediately, the three of them went into a group hug. After he heard the whole story, he said, "So what are we going to do?"
Nicky wished she could give a favorable answer to that question. "All we can do is hide in the shelter - and hope."
That was when Pepper Ann remembered her little sister. "I've got to find Moose! Hold on, I'll be right back!" She didn't have her blades on, so she had to run. When she got home, she was winded, but still managed to call her sister out. "Moose!"
"Peppie? Where are you?"
"I'm in the living room. Come on out. There's a gathering at Nicky's house, and you shouldn't be alone at a time like this."
Moose slowly emerged from her hiding place. When she saw her older sister, she hugged her.
"Don't worry, Moose. I'm with you all the way."
Together, they went to Nicky's. By this time, the streets were cleared out, so it didn't take very long to get there. When they arrived, Pepper Ann called her father, Chuck.
Chuck had been flying his blimp all day and had not heard the news. When he heard his daughter's shaky voice, he started to worry. "Peppie, what's wrong?"
Pepper Ann told him about the news and where she was. "Good gravy! I'll be there as soon as I can." He was there in thirty minutes. As friends and family members huddled around, they wondered what would become of their beloved town.
TO BE CONTINUED
