Nodding, Tyee took the vocal and they all played their guitars, with Jasper playing lead. They finished to polite applause.
The twins got out an electric piano and an electric drum set and conferred quietly with the others. Nodding and smiling, Jasper traded his acoustic guitar for an electric. The drums and keyboard started and the guitar joined in playing an upbeat, jazzy instrumental. It really needed trumpets, but Jimmy improvised the part on the keyboard, changing the setting to sound like horns.
It was very impressive. Their performance was greeted enthusiastically. The laughing and cheering was just dying down when a horrible noise made everyone’s blood run cold. Even down here, the sound and vibrations were unmistakable. The ground shook and a sound louder than the space shuttle launching grumbled and growled past them. It all happened so fast, Hana almost didn’t process what was happening. Her frightened mind failed to decode what she heard.
She felt a cold hand take hers as her heart skipped a beat. Squatting down, she sat by Aunt Enid. They exchanged a worried look when the lights went out. The noises stopped and the generator clicked on. Seconds later, Jasper and the other men ran up the stairs two at a time.
“The horses!” Jimmy bellowed as he ran.
The guests didn’t move. Everyone was in shock. Nothing like this had ever happened to any of them. When the worried surprise began to wear off, the chatter started. Everyone wanted to know what had happened, but they were afraid to go see. A terrific crash echoed through the house followed by a loud explosion. Yelling and banging continued several more minutes accompanied by the smell of smoke.
Hana was terrified. Should she investigate? She was torn between finding out what was wrong and staying with her aunt. Jasper and Jimmy appeared at the base of the stairs.
“Everyone proceed up the stairs in an orderly fashion. The propane tank at the back of the building exploded. Everyone move quickly up the stairs and out the front door. Enid, you’re with me, baby.”
He picked her up as if she weighed nothing. Jimmy got her chair and they joined the flow of traffic toward the stairs. One woman was hysterical, her husband having a hard time convincing her to move. Hana tapped Jasper’s arm, pointing at them.
“I’ll get her. You take care of Auntie.”
“Be careful, baby.” He kissed her fast, taking the stairs two at a time.
Hana went to the woman, talking calmly to her. “What’s her name?” she asked the husband.
“Barbara Jean. Bobbie for short.” Her lips trembled and a panicked expression twisted her features.
“Bobbie. Bobbie!” Hana spoke sharply to get the woman’s attention. She clapped her hands right under the woman’s nose. She didn’t want to hit her, but that was her next step.
Bobbie looked somewhat surprised, her breathing rapid.
“We’ve got to go now. I’m going to take your hand and we’re going to walk out of here, okay?”
“I can’t! I can’t!”
“You can and you will, Bobbie. It may not be safe down here.”
“The storm!”
“It’s passed. Come on, we need to get out of here or Jasper is gonna be mad at me.”
“Jasper?”
“The big guy on the guitar a few minutes ago.”
“Big?”
“Real big and loud. Don’t want me to get in trouble, do you?”
“No. No.” She shook her head, following Hana calmly.
“Good, cause I’d sure hate to slap you,” Hana murmured.
They got to the stairs quickly. Hana pulled Bobbie up while her husband pushed from below. Smoke filtered in from the kitchen as they got to the front door. Aunt Enid waited right outside. Hana ran to her, wheeling her further way from the building while Bobbie’s husband led her to a bench not far away.
“Thank you,” he said to Hana in passing. “Thanks, I don’t know what I would have done.”
“Not a problem,” Hana said with a smile. When they were out of earshot, she squatted by her aunt. “He should have carried the twit out.”
Enid smirked. “Not everyone thinks fast ,and he looks pretty scared too.”
“Yeah, at least I didn’t have to smack her, but I would have. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” her aunt said calmly.
“Where’s Jasper?” Hana couldn’t believe how worried she was about him.
“Fighting the fire. It’s not too bad. The good news is there isn’t much gas in the tank, and the outside of the building is stone. The bad news is the fire department can’t get here yet. The roads are blocked by trees.”
“The horses?”
“Safe. The storm passed on the other side of the compound. Tore up the corral, but it was empty and it can be replaced. Everything else is alright.”
“Thank God. Should I check on Jasper?”
“He told me to have you stay here. They can handle it. They’ve got a hand operated water pump and hoses for this sort of thing. Being so far out here, they have to be self-sufficient. They know what they’re doing. Don’t worry, Hana.”
©2022 Dellani Oakes
Dellani Oakes 