Memories of an Earthquake

© 2005 copyright Raymond C. Evans

We were out in the shop that morning, my old friend Jack had stopped in for a little chat. We had a good little fire going in the shop heater too. We were spending a little time swapping stories about the good old days, swapping lies most likely, too. Maybe we could have even been discussing politics. It was just a normal morning, pretty nice day the way I remember it. I think I had intended to clean up my shop that day. That wouldn’t be unusual; I’m always intending to clean up the shop. Always seems to be something that prevents it, today it would be an earthquake.

Jack got a call on his cell phone, reception’s not too good in a metal building, “better go outside Jack”, I said, “You’ll have better reception there”. After a little time had passed, I decided to go outside to retrieve something while I was waiting for Jack to return. As I closed the door behind me I could see Jack standing there leaning up against his car talking on the phone. I was to later learn that he was talking to his wife at home where they lived about four miles away.

It all started with just a little vibration, then the metal building started to rattle louder and louder. Soon that turned into sort of a hammering sound as all of those metal building parts began to protest. I remember being in a railroad car one time that had a flat spot on one of its wheels, that was what this felt like at the beginning. This would not be the end of it though, the sounds, vibrations and shaking would continue to build in magnitude.

Things were flying through the air now, I would later figure out that they were birds, looking for a place that they might consider safer for a perch. This thing was building up its energy for one final lurch just as I was looking up into the top of a ninety foot tree. Much to my dismay the top of that tree lurched sideways about six feet. I knew for sure that we were in trouble now. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jack’s car rock over about six inches during the last gasp of that earthquake, if I had any doubts before, now I was convinced.

It was easy to see that Jack was really anxious; I was to learn later that he had been talking to his wife on the cell phone and their house was coming apart all around her. I believe I was later told that their house had sustained more damage than any other in the whole county. Fortunately she was not hurt, still it would have to have been a most terrifying moment for her. Jack jumped in his car and took off down the road as if his britches were on fire. He knew his house was in shambles.

I could not see our house because of the trees but I fully expected most of it to be in the basement, or at least part of it.

I thought my wife was away visiting our elder daughter so I wasn’t too worried about her. Much to my surprise when I reached the patio door I could see her purse on the table, she had already come home. “Are you OK in there”, I yelled as I opened the door, “I’m OK”, she replied.

It was unbelievable how well our little house had held together. No damage to the house at all that I could ever find other than to a few knick-knacks that had fallen to the floor. My wife didn’t even seem to be shaken up very much by the whole episode. It was as if the quakes main energy had taken a sort of detour around our house. How thankful I was that we had been spared.

There could be a lesson here, one minute you may be just sitting around chatting with a friend and the next you might have to worry about the whole world falling apart. It just makes us appreciate the good things in our lives all the more.