A girl with her dog in a wooden house, caught in a powerful tornado with lightning, above a vast landscape. Digital art.

Dorothy lived in the heart of the great Kansas prairies with her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em. Their house was small and plain, for the land around them was gray and flat, stretching all the way to the horizon. Even Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, worn by hard work and the sun, seemed to have lost their joy and color. Dorothy’s only happiness was her little dog, Toto. He was lively and playful, and he made her laugh. One day, Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, saw a long, low rumble in the sky. He knew what it meant. "There's a cyclone coming, Em!" he shouted to his wife. "I'll go look after the stock." He ran towards the sheds where the cows and horses were kept. Aunt Em dropped her work and rushed to the trap door in the floor that led to the small, dark cyclone cellar. "Quick, Dorothy!" she screamed. "Run for the cellar!" Toto, frightened by the storm, dashed under the bed. Dorothy ran to catch him. As she finally grabbed the little dog, the house shook so violently that she lost her balance and sat down suddenly upon the floor. A strange thing happened. The house whirled around two or three times and rose slowly through the air. Dorothy felt as if she were going up in a balloon. The wind outside was deafening, but inside, the house was eerily calm. They were carried miles and miles away from Kansas. For hours, Dorothy sat on the floor, holding Toto tightly, wondering what would happen. The house creaked, and the wind howled, until, exhausted, she closed her eyes and fell asleep, with See more