Cricket had lived in the little town of Waterton in the middle of Waterton Lakes National Park all her life Thunderstorms in September were normal after a hot summer She kind of liked the storms especially at night when she could burrow down safe and warm in her blankets blankets and watch out her window as lightning lightning crackled in the sky The sound of rain pounding on the roof would lull her to sleep What I don’t get is why we have thunderstorms almost every day but no rain Cricket watched as Shilo tapped a block and eased it from the bottom as the tower swayed Yeah it’s so dry the grass is crunchy I had to wear shoes almost all summer Shilo said Cricket pinched her nose and waved her hand Lucky for us she said and 2
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laughed when Shilo rolled her eyes Cricket focused on the Jenga tower again She tapped a block then gripped it carefully and wiggled it free Ka-boom A flash of lightning lit up the room at the same time as thunder cracked shaking the house Ah Cricket jumped and the tower fell Wooden blocks scattered across the floor The lights flickered and went out Not again Shilo groaned Seconds later the lights came back on though they were a little dimmer than before Shilo turned to Cricket What It’s the emergency generator Cricket stood up and Shilo followed her to the kitchen where Warden McKay was working on a computer 4
Cricket’s dad was a park warden in Waterton Lakes National Park It was his job to sort out disagreements between wildlife and tourists The week before he had helped a family that discovered a porcupine had moved into their tent and was refusing to leave As the weather got hotter and the forest got drier he spent more time checking campfires and reminding visitors how to extinguish them properly Shilo peered over Warden McKay’s shoulder at the screen That’s cool Is it part of Waterton And what are those little dots They keep changing color Warden McKay shook his head Waterton is down here he said pointing to the corner of the screen These are the mountains west of us and those dots are lightning strikes This website tracks the direction of the storm 5
