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I stepped out of the truck, feeling the cool night hair against my flushed cheeks. I walked up to the ranch house and climbed the stairs to my room. Exhausted, I fell asleep soon after.
While I lay asleep in the middle of the night, it began to rain. The sound of the heavy rain pattering against the roof and windows seeped into my half-asleep consciousness.
Another sound from the roof made it seem as if stones were constantly striking the roof with force. Hailstones maybe.
Feeling the chill in the air, I burrowed deeper into my blanket and continued sleeping. A drop of rain fell on the blanket, jolting me awake. Another drop splashed on my face. I sat up and wiped the wetness away.
That was when I saw that water was leaking from multiple points on the roof and falling on the hardwood floor.
The water was steadily falling on my clothes strewn on a chair. My favorite novel I’d left on my dressing table no longer looked the same. The pages had absorbed moisture from the rain. Grandpa’s cowboy hat on the same spot was equally soaked.
Heart racing, I sprang out of bed. Another water splashed on my head, and I moved away from the spot.
Hailstone fell through the weakened spots in the roof, clattering onto any available surface.
“Beth!” I called out, hoping for the housekeeper’s help.
The sound from the storm drowned out my voice. I doubted that she heard me.
“Beth!” I called again.
There was no reply.
Deciding that she might have her own problems to deal with, I wore a long coat over my pajamas.
I quickly gathered the most precious items that were lying around. Shielding them with my body, I moved them to a drier part of the room, then did the same with the furniture.
I realized that my efforts might as well become futile. What if other parts of the roof started leaking?
My best bet was to tackle the source of the problem. There was an old toolbox tucked away in a corner of the room. Its contents were rusty but still usable.
Picking a hammer and some nails from it, I dragged a sturdy table beneath the largest leak and placed a stool on it. I climbed onto the table then onto the stool. Meanwhile, rain fell on me from the opening.
I pressed my palms against the wet ceiling board. Lots of them had a soft texture; they were almost crumbling under my touch. It would be futile to try to hammer a nail into this ceiling. The material was too soggy. Plus, the last time I’d tried to nail the barn roof, it hadn’t worked.
The hammer slipped out of my wet hand. I nearly lost my balance, my heart leaping into my throat.
I climbed down and stood in the middle of the room, watching everything crumble. A sense of helplessness washed over me. I was right here trying to build the ranch as best as I could. Yet, nature itself was destroying my efforts.
I picked a set of dry clothes from the wardrobe and changed into them, then huddled in a corner and watched the rain continue to fall.
By daybreak, the room looked worse. Water pooled on the floor, mingling with a few hailstones that had made their way through the roof.
There was a knock on the door. When I didn’t answer, the door swung open.
There was a sharp intake of breath. Beth walked in, her eyes wide in shock as she surveyed the damage.
“Oh, Anna. What in the world happened here?” she asked, rushing to me.
I sighed.
“The roof started leaking in the storm. I tried to fix it, but it was no use.”
My voice sounded scared. Composing myself, I stood up and spoke firmly.
“Please call Ethan and Jake. We need to work on this room.”
“Alright.”
