>>2339016“Jill, come quick!” I heard Jodi said. I hurried back inside.
“What is it?” I wondered, my heart jumping out of my throat. Had someone…?
“Jill, I’m stuck!” it was Hilda. She was under the bed closest to the bathroom. One of the collapsed beams had taken her bunk down and she was stuck under her bed. I ran to her side.
“Are you hurt anywhere?” I tried to sound calm so she could calm down, too.
“I… I don’t think so. But I can’t move!” she said; and right she was, Jodi and Peggy did a lot of grunting but were not able to move the bed at all.
“I’ll get some muscle from outside. Wait here with her,” I ordered.
I heard the steps of someone coming in. “Muscle. Here,” someone announced. It was Gabi Pickering, an ox of a woman I had never interchanged a word with. She fearlessly approached the leaning bed, rudely pushed Jodi away and with her two huge arms, she somehow managed to move what three of us wouldn’t dream budging. “GRAAAAAH!” she loudly grunted.
“Oh, thank you! Thank you! Bless you!” Hilda enthused, started to crawl out, until she couldn’t. “Huh?” I’m stuck with something.
Peggy ducked. “It’s just your dress! Keep crawling!” she informed. Peggy didn’t wait for Hilda to move; she and her sister grabbed an arm of the trapped girl each and pulled as hard as they could. We heard a strong, ripping sound.
“Wait! Wait! Wait!” Hilda begged, but we weren’t going to. Gabi could not do this forever and safety was much, much, much more important that her clothes.
*