I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980

Terrified, Jess, Sam, and Eddie flee the cabin and realize that the whole mountain is shaking. Trees and branches come down around them as they try to find a safe hiding place. Suddenly, the shaking stops. Without saying a word, Jess and the twins join hands and race down the trail, away from the shack. As Jess runs, she feels that Missy must be right: The forest really is cursed by Skeleton Woman. When they arrive at the cabin, Mr. Rowan grabs them in a bear hug, relieved to see that they are safe. A man comes up to greet them and tells them that the shaking was caused by an earthquake. Jess realizes that her nervousness over the Skeleton Woman story made her think irrationally; she now finally understands what really happened. The man’s name is Dr. Timothy Morales, and he is a seismologist, or earthquake expert, who works at the University of Washington. Dr. Morales reveals that there have been 50 earthquakes under Mount St. Helens that week alone. He believes that the volcano will soon erupt.