Lost in Oz, Found in Love

The Chicago Cyclone

Chelsey Burke shivered as she walked along Chicago's Clark Street, pulling her jacket closer to her body as she tried to stay on the sidewalk, as much as nature had other plans. For a city nicknamed "The Windy City," it seemed like the wind gusts were making things feel a little like winter that morning, which might have also been due to being in the shadow of several tall structures. On days like that, it was a little odd to see someone wearing something more than a long-sleeved shirt for warmth, but it wasn't too cold for a heavy coat. Nonetheless, Chelsey continued to make her way from her apartment to the Lincoln Park Zoo, and she smiled as she walked while nodding and smiling at everyone she passed.

She had lived in the Chicago area her whole life, born and raised in the suburb of Stone Park before making her way to the big city, complete with finding work there. Ever since she was hired at the Lincoln Park Zoo as a worker for the Endangered Species carousel, she made sure to be on time for her jobs every weekday morning, always taking extra time on her route to enjoy the view. Despite her route only being an hour on foot and 16 minutes by bike, she would usually take the hike to work so she could take in the sights of the city, and it always made her smile to see the skyscrapers reach for the stars. She was proud to be from Chicago, and despite the occasional crime rates and frequent wind gusts, there wasn't anything that was going to change her love for the city.

Anyway, Chelsey had made it to the employee office at the Lincoln Park Zoo at 8:29 a.m. for her shift, much to the surprise of her new coworkers and the delight of her boss. After getting changed and fixing her modest appearance by changing into her zoo uniform, she tied her jacket around her waist and joined some of her coworkers for a light breakfast at the Zoo's cafe, where all of them stayed in the shade to avoid getting too cold. Having seen that her work location for the day was the carousel, she said goodbye to her coworkers before heading up the hill to it, where she made sure everything was ready for the incoming guests. Once everything was checked from the animals to the controls, she stayed by the ticket booth and waited for the first guests to arrive.

The next few hours whizzed by like the riders on a carousel, and Chelsey was quick to ensure that all her clients were safe on the ride, both the children and their parents. She enjoyed working at the carousel, and she loved seeing the smiles on the riders' faces as they went around on their short journeys, all while she tried to keep herself warm. It seemed as if the wind was at its coldest when she was working at the carousel, especially since it was on a little hill that could overlook part of the zoo, so she rubbed her hands together when she wasn't handling the ride controls or tickets and bounced around a little to avoid freezing over.

Unfortunately, the wind started getting a little stronger than usual, and just one look at the western sky showed that trouble was brewing. The sky was starting to get dark very quickly, and while the zoo was announcing an early closure, tornado sirens started blaring around the city. Galvanized into action and knowing what to do, Chelsey quickly worked to get the riders off the carousel before sending those who were both on the ride and in line to the exits. From comforting screaming toddlers to calmly informing seniors of the incoming tornado, Chelsey put all the tickets she had received into the ticket booth before ensuring that all the working operations were stopped for the day, even closing the tent around the ride and securing the flaps.

It was at that moment when she looked up and saw a funnel cloud approaching the zoo, and while part of her was fascinated by how the cyclone seemed to sparkle, her other part was shocked at its gaining speed. Along with that, she suddenly noticed that she had no place to hide from the tornado, so she panicked as she looked around before running down the hill and trying to find a safe place. After failing to hide in the nearest bathroom stalls, she was rushing to find any source of shelter when a pay-to-park kiosk was uprooted before hitting her from behind, causing her to fall over and pass out when she hit the grass.