Gus and Trudy Watch the Ocean Turn Green

Gus and Trudy were so excited. Today was the day that the people at the beach in Allenhurst were going to dye the ocean green. Even though they did not like to see summer, Gus and Trudy were very excited to see this tradition. Gus climbed on Trudy's back and off they flew. As they were landing on the beach (in a little hideaway corner behind a dune) they saw Abby and Tommy! Boy were they having fun. Then it happened - green - the ocean turned green! All the kids (and some grown ups) laughed and played in the ocean. It was a beautiful sight. Gus and Trudy stayed on the beach until the sun set. It had been a glorious day. Trudy told Gus to climb on her back and she began the flight home. They talked about all the things that had happened this summer. Earthquakes, ambulances, hurricanes, and now, the ocean was turned green. When they landed at their house they went inside and had a cup of herbal tea. They nibbled on some scones. Trudy began to yawn and Gus said they should go to sleep. They went into their rooms and snuggled in for the night. Everything was calm and peaceful in the little house in the orderly garden on Bloomfoeld Avenue.

Gus and Trudy and Irene

Gus and Trudy were in a panic. They had seen Elaine going into the garden and pick up all the objects and take them to the garage. They just couldn't figure out what was going on. Then they heard the neighbors all talking about Irene. How Irene would come and blow everything away. How Irene would make floods all over the garden. How Irene might even take down some of the big oaks that Trudy loved to sit in. Gus and Trudy decided that they did not care for Irene. They decided that when they saw Irene they would kick her out of the orderly garden on Bloomfield Ave. The neighbors were still talking. Oh no! They were saying that maybe the beloved beaches could be ruined by Irene! Gus and Trudy, as honorary lifeguards, were mad about this. How dare she! What was the matter with Irene? And better yet - what did Irene look like? "She must be pretty big to do all that damage," Gus said. "She must be pretty fast to whip around and cause big, strong oak trees to fall," said Trudy. "Where do you think she gets the water to dump all over the place?," Gus wondered. "If she can knock things over that are so big - what about our little house?," Trudy hooted. Gus and Trudy had so many worries and so many questions. They were getting very scared. Then they overheard Abby and Tommy talking about leaving their house and going next door with Annalisa and Nick to stay the night. Now they were worried. What about Anthony and Gianna? They heard that their whole family was going to stay in one room so they would all be safe. "Does Irene steal kids too? What about gnomes and owls? Is anyone safe?,"they wondered. "And what about Carmela? Will she be OK down the road?," Gus and Trudy asked each other. They certainly had a lot to worry about. What to do? "We can't even get hold of the Great Flamingo to help us out,"Trudy said. Then they remembered Dorrie. She knew a lot about everthing because Abby talked to her all the time and explained things to her. So Gus jumped on Trudy's back and they flew up to Abby's window. Tap, tap, tap Trudy's beak tapped the window. Dorrie came to the window. Gus and Trudy asked her about Irene. What did she look like? How could they fight her? How could they help protect everyone on the street? Why was Irene so mad at them? Dorrie laughed. She knew a lot about Irene and others like her because she had lived in Florida for a very long time. She very patiently explained to Gus and Trudy that Irene was a hurricane. And as a hurricane, irene had to do what Mother Nature told her to do. She didn't have any choice. And when she was done blowing and rainingn she would just fade into nothing. "Sometimes I think that these hurricanes get a little carried away and blow and rain so much because they know that soon they will fade into nothing," Dorrie said wisely. Now Gus and Trudy understood. But they were worried about their house and the orderly garden. They deicded to talk to Elaine. Elaine told them that she was going to take their house and put it into the garage. When the storm was over she would restore order to the garden. She even invited Gus and Trudy o stay in the house with Josie and Jasmine, the cats. They did. Then Irene came. She blew and she rained for two days. The wind was actually very scary. Branches of trees were flying everywhere. But the mighty oaks fought hard. Not one fell. The garden was flooded and Elaine said they would have to wait for the water to go down. They waited. Elaine straightened up the garden and it was orderly again. She out Gus and Trudy's house back in it's spot. Gus and Trudy checked out the beaches and boardwalks. Elaine had shown them oictures from the internet. They were scared about what they might find. The beaches were somewhat washed out but people were in big machines trying to put more sand on them. Other people were nailing loose boardwalk boards back into place. Everything was going to be OK. Gus and Trudy went back home. They saw all the kids on the street. Everyone was safe. Gus and Trudy were tired from the worrying. They went back to their little house in the orderly garden on Bloomfield Ave. and promptly fell asleep.