In the midst of Mississippi’s loss comes a sliver of good news: A cat named Athena

By Rick Karle

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    ROLLING FORK, Mississippi (WVTM) — There it sat in the midst of their loss, their pain, their overwhelming grief. Sixteen hours after the twister took at least 13 of their own. The sound of the freight train had left, and the miracle had arrived. A miracle that for a moment made Rolling Fork, Mississippi, smile.

This is the story about a cat named Athena.

It was approaching 7:50 last Friday night, and Rolling Fork’s Marty Long dialed his son.

“The weather reports say a strong tornado is heading straight toward Rolling Fork,” Marty told Mason Long, his son.

Mason lived about 15 minutes from his father, and he told his dad that the damaging winds had arrived.

“Get into the hallway by the bathroom,” Marty screamed through the phone as the EF-4 Tornado was poised to strike.

Marty heard yells through the phone. Crashes. Grunts. Silence

“Mason. Mason!” Marty yelled as the 10-second pause turned into forever.

“I’m OK, dad,” said the 24-year-old, “but everything’s gone. My house, my belongings, even my cat.”

Marty rushed toward Mason’s place among vanished houses and lost lives. Sirens blared as Marty parked his truck as close as he could, his legs carried him the rest of the way. It was the longest Marty and Mason had ever hugged. Marty opened one eye and caught site of where his son’s house once stood. Marty squeezed his son a little tighter until Mason spoke up.

“C’mon dad, we have to help people,” Mason said.

Mason rushed to a neighbor’s house and his adrenaline took over.

“Mason lifted up a brick wall and saved an elderly woman,” Marty said. “He saved at least three other people in the dark of night. My son had a bad accident six months back, yet what he was doing was quite a sight to see.”

It was 3 a.m., seven hours after destruction paid its visit. Father and son somehow made it back to Marty’s place. They needed a few hours of sleep, for sunrise was but a few hours away. The same sunrise that would bring shock to their eyes and pain to their hearts.

It was Saturday morning, and father and son were back to work, sawing and hammering and lifting and cutting. Lunchtime was approaching. Marty and his son headed back to Mason’s house that was to see if anything could be salvaged. A bright blue sky hovered over the town that once was. In a way, it was cruel — there was so much light, just so the town folks could see the destruction.

As Marty and Mason looked toward the highest point of the dream house torn apart, there it sat: A cat named Athena.

Sixteen hours earlier, the sound of the freight train had left. At noon on Saturday, the sound of life had arrived. Athena purred while Mason wept. It was a hug that seemingly never ended.

At least 13 people lost their lives last weekend in the Rolling Fork area — at last 25 people were killed across the state of Mississippi. Good people continue to mourn in Rolling Fork, and we continue to pray. Neighbors have lost neighbors, and families have lost fathers and mothers and children.

And while we grieve alongside the good people of Mississippi, for a brief moment on Saturday we could welcome a very tiny sliver of good news.

Good news about a cat.

A cat named Athena.

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