Chapter 1
For once, the sky was blue. There was no dust hanging in the air, blocking out the sun and making the whole earth seem dingy. There was a blue sky overhead.
Maybelle Cobbler could hardly believe it. Warren and her had always believed they could survive anything, but they’d begun to lose that hope after the stock market crashed. They’d still somehow survived, through every trial that came their way.
Black Sunday had brought on the biggest dust storm the world had seen. Their Colorado home had been practically buried under it all.
A few weeks later, their daughter had begun to hack and cough. At first, they couldn’t figure it out. The sickness didn’t get better, no matter what they did. Other people around them exhibited the same symptoms, and some even died.
This is where they panicked. They wanted to save their only child, one of the only things they had left. The stock market could go all the way down to hell, so long as they still had their daughter.
That’s when a hobo visiting town gave them a remedy in exchange for a meal. Balls of lard and kerosine. Simple as that.
It didn’t completely cure their daughter, but she lived because of it. The lard came back up, entirely coated in the grimy substance and the coughing subsided. A few weeks later, the Red Cross brought the plains dust masks.
They’d survive this. They’d survive it all.
Food was always scarce. Hoovervilles were everywhere, lines for soup kitchens were longer than could be supplied, everyone wanted food, and nobody could supply enough. It was tough, but the Cobblers always found a way. They were creative. They were smart.
They made a bottle for their daughter out of an old coke bottle. They boiled leather scraps to make gelatin, they did everything they could to keep their fruit tree alive. They had enough food to keep themselves alive, and they could sometimes share with the unfortunate souls that passed by their old farmhouse. One needed a heart during this hard time. It was hard for everyone.
But soon, the tree died from the lack of rain. The farm payments were coming due, and they had no money. They had nowhere to go. There was nothing for them to do.
They left the farm with only each other. They needed somewhere to go.
That’s when they decided to leave Colorado. People spoke of California often-
“It’s the promised land! Prosperity lies there.”
“If you can get there, you’re made!”
ONe of the few worldly possessions they still had was a car. Old, rusty, and run down, but it moved. That was all they needed.
The Cobbler family hit the road. It stretched before them like a beacon of hope. The further away they got, the more sky the could see.
There was blue overhead. A small stream ran next to them. It was dirty and small, but how long had it been since they’d seen something like that?
For once, Maybelle felt hope. This was closer to the world she wanted for her daughter to grow up in. Even if it wasn’t perfect, she could see the blue skies.
Perhaps there was hope in the world.
