Thank you for visiting this page. The content has been replaced, as the short story had its useful life here, and I have decided (two years later) to give the story a new lease on life.
In its place I am providing some information about the historic Armistice Day Blizzard that devastated Minnesota in 1940. This is the event upon which the short story was based.
It all started on November 11, 1940 - a day that was mild and pleasant. In those days, they did not have the weather systems we have today, and the people of Minnesota were completely unprepared. Many duck hunters were out in the fields, as it was the height of duck hunting season. People went to work and children went to school.
But the weather turned terrible. The temperature dropped like a rock and a terrible snowstorm moved in, dumping feet of snow. Duck hunters were trapped in their blinds. School children walked home in normal clothes in the blizzard and some were lost along the way. People tried to drive home from work, and many had to abandon their cars in ditches. Some perished trying to get home on foot.
In all 49 people died in Minnesota, and on Lake Michigan shipwrecks claimed another 59 lives. You can read more about the storm in the following resources:
The short story that appeared in this space was a fictional account of a family. It will appear soon in another form, hopefully in a mainstream publication, as I will be submitting it for consideration.