Black Sunday by Taryn Trina
It was April 14th—one day before Cora’s sixteenth birthday—and she felt the air change as she took the laundry down from the clothesline. The sky darkened over the Oklahoma plains and the wind threatened to blow the laundry away. Cora froze for a moment and then shouted “Dust storm!” loudly enough for everyone inside to hear.
Cora held the cellar door open for her mother and the younger children as they descended into the cool darkness. Cora’s mother called for her to join them, but Cora was determined to find her father and brothers.
Cora saddled the old mare and rode across the fields, calling for her father until she finally spotted him. He was already riding back with her brothers, the storm creeping up the horizon nearly fast enough to overcome them. They tethered the animals in the barn stalls and sealed the doors to keep the precious livestock safe.
1. What is the setting of this story?