This morning, as I was sitting in bed talking to Celeste, we heard a roar, sort of like a train coming at us. A few seconds late, the train was upon us and the building began to shake. It didn't shake hard, really, but it lasted probably 15 seconds. Fifteen seconds seems like a really looong time, when you're waiting to see if it's going to stop or get worse.
Celeste looked at me with worried eyes and crawled up into the bed. I did nothing, except listen to things rattle.
The thing about it is that I knew it was coming. I learned last year, when the dogs all bark at once, when Celeste barks in the house for no obvious reason, there will be an earthquake in a few days. Two or three days ago, at 4 am, all the dogs in the neighborhood began to bark, including Ms. Blue Eyes. So I was waiting. And it happened. Actually there was a tremor at 2 am, that I slept through apparently. And then the one at 8 am.
This earthquake epicenter was about 45 kilometers southwest of Callao, out in the Pacific Ocean, 5.3 on the Richter scale. Callao is about an hour from where I live. I heard on the news that a couple of houses in Callao had fallen, but it's very hard for me to know if they were in liveable condition or if they were on the verge of collapse anyway.
2 comments:
Wow, that's two in less than a year. I think you and O should really, really, really, really think seriously about coming here. Nice how I turned that around to my own purpose, eh?
But honestly, that's frightening, especially when you live in a high rise building. How amazing that the dogs know well in advance. Animals are really amazing.
Yikes, that's scary, Kathleen! There was a terrific earthquake here in 1986, I'm told. My barn shifted over six inches and undergrown streams were diverted. I've never experienced one, and I don't think I want to! Hold fast, Celeste! At least she has four legs to balance herself through a tremor!
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