A Tricky Mystery

Tornadoes. The very word makes some kids shake with fear. So do I, but these nasty weather phenomenons can't be prevented. The only thing you can do is try to be safe. At school, this usually means crouching down in a corner, doing the "duck-and-cover" - this means your knees are tucked under your chest, your hands over your head. I've had a about fifty thousand tornado drills in my life, but today it just occurred to me: Were they all tornado drills? Were they really? 

    At a school, they may not tell you if it's an actual tornado, not simply a drill. Why? Same reason they never tell you what the crimes are doing a lock down: so kids don't flip out. If a tornado hits, it's much easier to manage a bunch of kids than a bunch of scared kids. 

    So today, I recalled a tornado "drill" that took place when I was in the fourth grade. It was right in the middle of math class. We were right in the middle of a fairly important lesson, and my math teacher kept complaining that the whole thing was "unnecessary" and how they "wished it never happened". Well, according to a person whom I interviewed (they went to my same school and saw the whole thing) my math teacher shouldn't have said that. Here's why:

• The tornado drill was totally random! If it was just for practice, they would've mentioned it during the morning announcements. But here's the thing: they didn't.
• We were stuck doing the duck-and-cover for a really, really, REALLY long time! Usually, a tornado drill lasts about 5 to 10 minutes. But this one took forever - that's why we missed math lessons.
• Right in the middle of the twister, the lights went out. Usually in storms, the lights may go out if a power line got ripped apart - especially in a tornado.
• The person I interviewed claims that they could hear the violent storm. Honestly, I don't really remember too much about that particular drill - only that my math teacher hated it.

So, you have all the dead-on facts. The person I interviewed witnessed it firsthand. Of course, he/she might be an unreliable witness. But we have to prove it, and no one has. So until then, let's assume it's true.

    Now, after hearing all of these facts, you're probably thinking that it was indeed a real live cyclone. But someone else ay argue that

• the teachers could've forgotten to mention it,
• it might've simply felt like a long time 'cause we were bored and wanted to get on with the math lesson,
• the lights going out could've simply been a coincidence,
• and there might've been some awful din (lawn mowers, construction, etc.) that my witness had heard that day.

So now that you know everything - and really everything - it's time for you to make your decision. Was it a real tornado that hit our area that particular day in the fourth grade? This is a trial. You are the jury. Take all the facts and possibilities, roll them together, and turn them into a conclusion. But this might take a couple days, and until then this still remains a mystery.