May Read/Ruby

Title: I Survived The Japanese Tsunami  

Author: Lauren Tarshis

This story is based on the earthquake of Japan on March 11, 2011.

Ben Kudo, an eleven-year-old boy, his dad had been an F-16 pilot for the U.S. Air force and died four months ago in a car accident. A few months ago before the accident, Ben's father had announced a family trip to Shogahama, the fishing village in Japan where he had lived until he was ten, but now Ben's family were on the way to Shogahama without Dad. 

Ben's family ( Mom, Ben and little brother Harry) went to visit Dad's brother - Ojisan, when they arrived in Shogahama, Harry asked Ben to help him climb a cherry tree in Ojisan's small front yard, one of the stories Dad told about Shogahama was that the cherry trees were magic. If you climbed to the top of a tree, you could make a wish . Ben knew Dad was just telling fairy tales, but Harry believed in everything. Harry wanted to wish for Daddy to come back to them, but when Ben went to help his brother, it's too late, Harry was covered in blood and lying in a heap under the cherry tree. The little guy looked terrible. a blood-crusted nose and a big gash on his arm, but he wasn't so badly hurt. The doctor - his name was Dr. Sato- needed to fix yp that little cut on Harry's arm.

Everyone was exhausted from the trip to the hospital. Mom helped Harry changed out his blood-spattered pajamas and tucked him into bed. During the midnight earthquake happened suddenly, the shaking got stronger and stronger until Ben and Harry were bouncing up and down on the bed. Ojisan shouted from somewhere across the house. A huge crack had appeared in the ceiling, any second the ceiling would collapse, so Ben grabbed Harry crawled across the floor toward the door, but it was stuck. Ben dragged Harry back toward the bed, which had strong metal legs. Finally the shaking stopped, a moment later there were footsteps, Mom and Ojisan tried to clear a path through the wreckage.

Now, four of them were out of the house, Ojisan had drifted to the edge of the street, he was standing with two other men, they were all looking intently at the ocean in the distance. A strange gray cloud hovering ever the ocean, it looked almost like smoke, and with a sudden jolt, Ben understood that it wasn't a cloud, it wasn't a fire. It was a wave, a gigantic wave, taller than a building, and so wide he couldn't see where it started or ended. 

Ojisan shouted, " Tsunami ! " There was no time to think, they hurried to get into toe car, Ojisan had the engine running even before Ben had closed his door, the car screeched out of the driveway. There was a strange noise, it rose up suddenly, a rear louder even than the earthquake, Ben turned, and what he saw almost stopped his heart : A frothing wall of water rushing up the street, and it wasn't just water. The wave carried parts of houses, a smashed car, slabs of wood and metal. It was devouring everything in its path. And now the wave was coming for them. Ojisan stomped on the gas pedal, and suddenly there was water all around them, the car spun wildly as the waves rushed up around the tires. Ben was held tight by his seat belt, Mom and Harry toppled onto Ojisan, and they all crashed together, into his door, the door popped open, Ojisan fell out of the car, and then Mom, Harry tumbled out, Ben tried to climb over the seats to dive out after them, but the water was high now, the door slammed shut, the water was at Ben's chin and there was no way out.

Ben closed his eyes and remembered what Dad had said about escaping from a sunken place, he started to kick at the window of the passenger door, Ben gave one last kick, and the glass popped out of the frame. He pushed against the car with both feet, and rocketed up to toe surface. And then he caught a glimpse of something big bobbing in the water, it was a couch! Minutes passed, and Ben floated on the couch, suddenly the water was moving again, it was because the giant wave had lost power, it was being sucked back into the ocean. Just ahead, Ben saw something- a tall, skinny tree poking up through the water, it was his only chance. Ben clung to the tree as the water rushed back to the ocean, Ben had never felt more tired, or more cold, his strength was gone, freezing cold, starving, and exhausted. Ben remembered what Dad had told him, " No matter how scared you are, no matter how hopeless things seem, you simply cannot give up hope." Ben closed his eyes and took deep breaths until his mind felt calmer, he turned away from the ocean, and pointed himself toward the mountains, and he walked.

Ben walked for hours, and finally he saw the school up on the hill, he'd staggered in, and collapsed onto the floor. After that, Ben's memories were blurry. The next thing he knew he was on the floor of the gym, His muddy clothes were gone, and he was wearing a worn sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants. There was bandage on Ben's hand, and more on the cuts and gashes that covered his legs, without any power , the school was very cold. Lying next to Ben were a little girl and her mother, they pushed a bottle of water and a bag of chips to Ben, he said " Arigato" , the Japanese words he knew for thank you. Then he closed his eyes and drifter back to sleep, a man's voice called out to Ben. It was Dr. Sato.

They sat together in an empty classroom, Ben told Dr. Sato the story about what had happened in the tsunami, how Mom and Harry and Ojisan had been swept away from him. Dr. Sato told Ben his own story, he knew people would need help, he asked Ben to take care of ten children whose parents have not arrived. The kids didn't speak English, Ben wondered what he could do to help them busy. There was no power, no TV, no video games. Ben led the boys out, soon the air was filled with the sound of bouncing balls and laughing boys. After lunch, the boys took a break to climb on the jungle gym, Ben decided to practice his own shots, and then someone screamed out his name. Ben turned and there was Harry, running at him at full speed, behind him were Ojisan and Mom.

Ben sat between Mom and Harry on the airplane. Soon they would take off, it was two weeks after the wave, and they were heading home. It amazed Ben that Harry had come through the disaster with no other injuries. Ben knew how lucky they were to be together, that they were safe, but it was hard to feel happy when there was so much sadness all around. The quake had been the strongest ever to hit Japan, the tsunami had destroyed the Japanese coast for hundreds of miles.

the plane started to move forward, faster..., they began their journey home.