THE STORM THAT TESTED GREYHAVEN
Chapter 5
At seven, the first roof came down.
An old house near Harbor Road lost half its roof.
Nobody was inside.
That was the only good news.
The owners had evacuated earlier.
But the damage was severe.
Ethan and several others arrived with tarps.
The rain poured through the exposed ceiling.
Furniture floated in shallow water.
A photograph lay face down on the floor.
Ethan picked it up.
A family stood in front of the house.
The same house.
Before the storm.
He wiped the water from the frame.
An older man took it from him.
“Thank you.”
Ethan nodded.
They carried the photograph outside.
Another gust hit.
The man stared at the damaged roof.
“Forty years.”
Ethan looked at him.
“What’s that?”
“Forty years I’ve lived here.”
He swallowed.
“And five minutes nearly took it.”
Ethan looked at the house.
“It didn’t.”
The man frowned.
“What?”
Ethan pointed toward the people working around them.
“You still have it.”
The man looked around.
Dozens of people were carrying wood.
Covering windows.
Moving furniture.
The old man’s eyes became wet.
He looked away.
“Get back to work.”
Ethan smiled.
“Yes, sir.”
