A Move to Safety

Will the Mahaulus have to move to stay out of the path of the Kilauea Volcano?

1 The Mahaulus sat at the kitchen table. The curtains fluttered in the gentle, fragrant breeze. The sun was shining and filled the kitchen with a warm, buttery light. It was a perfect day for having a picnic or going surfing. But in the Mahaulus’ kitchen, no one seemed to be paying attention to the weather.

2 Leilani and Kala dejectedly picked at a bowl of pretzels. “Okay, girls,” said Mrs. Mahaulu. “I can tell by the expressions on your faces that you have a pretty good idea of why we needed to have this family meeting. ” Leilani and Kala exchanged looks and slowly nodded.

3 “Your mom and I have been having many conversations lately about the possibility of moving,” said Mr. Mahaulu. “We were hoping that it wouldn’t come to this, but we don’t see any alternative. ”

4 “But Dad,” protested Kala, “Kilauea has been an active volcano since 1983! Nothing has happened to us or to our house yet. I know we’ll be safe here. ”

5 “You’re right in saying that Kilauea has been active for a long time, Kala,” said Mrs. Mahaulu. “But your dad and I are concerned about all the recent evacuations. Even though we’ve been safe up to this point, there is no way to guarantee that a larger eruption isn’t imminent. ”

6 “Mom, you’ve said yourself that the government’s warning systems are efficient and effective. Doesn’t that count for anything?” asked Leilani. “This is our home. I can’t even remember living anywhere else!” she added, fighting back tears.

7 Leilani’s mom put an arm around her daughter’s shoulder. “This isn’t going to be easy on any of us,” she said. “Dad and I love this house, too. We have so many happy memories here. But we’re tired of living with such uncertainty. The most important thing in the world to us is that our family stays safe. ”

8 Mr. Mahaulu nodded. “Volcanoes are a fact of life in Hawaii,” he said. “I’m willing to accept that. I’ve never wanted to live anywhere else. But there are places in Hawaii where we’ll feel safer. We’ll have to give up our house, but you know as well as I do that home is wherever we go as a family. We’ll make new memories, and we’ll find things to love about our new home. ”

9 The girls were quiet for a moment as they considered what it would mean to move. “There are so many things I’ll miss here,” said Kala quietly.

10 “We all will,” said Mrs. Mahaulu. “But one of the places that your dad and I have looked at has much more room for a garden than we have here. Another place is only a few minutes walk to the beach. ”

11 Kala and Leilani couldn’t help smiling when they heard that. They both spent every spare minute they had surfing. If their parents told them that they could actually live in the water, they would have been perfectly happy.

12 Mr. Mahaulu walked around to the other side of the table. He put one large hand on each of his daughter’s shoulders. “I’m proud of you two,” he said. “Thank you for trying to understand why this is so important to your mom and me. ”

13 Leilani and Kala smiled and leaned back against their dad. He was right; home was wherever the family was.

Spectrum Reading Grade 6

62

Write the words from the story that have the meanings below.

1. gloomily; in a depressed way

2. certain to happen

3. without wasting time or energy 4. producing the desired effect

5. extra

Write the idiom from paragraph 6 on the line next to its meaning.

6. trying not to cry ______________________________________________________________________

7. Why do Mr. and Mrs. Mahaulu think that the family needs to move?

8. Mr. Mahaulu says that volcanoes are a fact of life in Hawaii. What does he mean?

9. Find a sentence in the story showing that one or both of the girls are not enthusiastic about moving.

10. What arguments do Leilani and Kala use to try to persuade their parents not to move?

11. Check the phrase that best describes the author’s purpose.

to instruct

to persuade

to entertain

Spectrum Reading Grade 6

63