[...]... was in the kitchen pointing at the wet towel and waiting for someone to pick it up Later, when he’d gone, she’d come back downstairs and the towel would still be there It wasn’t his responsibility to clean up after them Youn_9780307464477_4p_01_r1.qxp 11/16/09 9:35 AM Page 8 Excerpt from THE HANDBOOK FOR LIGHTNING STRIKE SURVIVORS An estimated 80% of people struck by lightning are men This is not,... Page 7 The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors 7 were imagination Maybe she’d bumped her head falling down somewhere earlier today but didn’t remember More deep breaths Her mother, who took smoke-filled breaths, said that deep breaths calmed the nerves Becca, taking the deepest breaths possible, felt light-headed She pulled the tub’s stopper Looking at herself in the mirror, she decided to curb the. .. when the lightning struck Or, maybe Dad is right: Who gets struck by lightning and walks away? She knew the answer: Me I do In the bathtub, with her big toe up the spigot, the water turned gray Becca smelled bleach She was trembling again Shutting off the cold, she turned up the hot She closed her eyes and took deep breaths to stop from shaking She imagined hovering, twirling in the sky, shooting lightning. .. knock them down first?” He looked at her then Finally The rain streaked the front window She said, “I think I got struck by lightning. ” “Well, you seem fine now.” He was used to seeing her bloodied and bruised Like her mother, she lacked balance “Get cleaned up.” He returned to his magazine Upstairs, she undressed, leaving the bathroom door open She looked at her watch before stepping in the tub The hands... said, “Dad, I got struck by lightning. ” He sat on the sofa “If you got struck by lightning, you’d be dead.” He didn’t look up The den’s gold drapes were parted The sky was black Becca shivered, waiting for her dad to say something more like We need to get you to the hospital! or Oh my God! I’ll call an ambulance!, but instead he picked up Yachting Today He was in love with sailing then He was in love with... Covering the mouthpiece, he said, “Ready for what?” “Ice cream We’re supposed to—” He didn’t let her finish “Sorry Another night.” Returning to his phone conversation, he said, “I won’t be later than eight.” Becca pulled the towel from her head and dropped it on the kitchen floor She went upstairs to her room to paint a picture of a girl getting struck by lightning She was certain that her father was in the. .. a gunslinger before dropping, landing cold and wet in the driveway She opened her eyes and felt sick Her hands and feet ached She used to ask her mother, “How can I turn off my imagination?” Back then, she didn’t pronounce the i, saying, “ ’magination” instead It was back then that she’d started painting, to give her “ ’magination” something to do Maybe the prickling in her feet and the headache Youn_9780307464477_4p_01_r1.qxp... her hair and waited for her dad to get off the phone He said, “I’ll be there,” smiling at Becca, holding up his pointer finger to indicate Be with you in a second He often held up his pointer finger Sometimes when he wanted Becca to do something like fold laundry, he’d look at her and point to the full basket He was a man of few words Into the phone he said, “I told you: I’ll be there.” Becca, having... out of the rain; rather, it’s because men tend to engage in outdoor sports and professions more than women Regardless of a victim’s gender, doctors and scientists concur that the surviving victim needs support from family and friends to recover Immediate effects include cardiac arrest and brain damage Chronic effects include anxiety disorders, memory loss, stiff joints, numbness, and insomnia For years... brain damage Chronic effects include anxiety disorders, memory loss, stiff joints, numbness, and insomnia For years following a strike, the victim might feel tingling throughout his body Because it’s often difficult for a victim to describe what happened, it’s important that there is a support group to listen . Publication Data Young-Stone, Michele. The handbook for lightning strike survivors : a novel / by Michele Young-Stone. — 1st ed. p. cm. 1. Lightning Fiction lightning strike victims survive. THE HANDBOOK FOR LIGHTNING STRIKE SURVIVORS Youn_9780307464477_4p_00_r1.qxp 11/16/09 9:29 AM Page vii The Handbook for Lightning