Buckleberry braced itself for autumn. The television and newspapers warned everyone about the intense winds that would blow from the west. Emergency service workers advised everyone that things outside a house had to be placed in a shed or tied down. "Expect the unexpected," we were told.

Waking up in the morning, we did not know what we would find. From the bedroom window, we could see that trees had blown down. The water from the nearby river had covered the park across the road. Mr Fitzgibbon’s caravan had turned upside down. There appeared to be houses with roof tiles missing. It looked like a huge cleanup needed to take place.

In our own home, Daddy found a leak in the roof in the hallway. Mummy got buckets and placed them under where the water was falling. A tree had blown against our treehouse, but it looked like no damage was done to the tree house. We had washing off the next-door neighbour’s washing line all lying across our grass. We knew that it was all a serious matter but Verity and I laughed when we saw Just Joan’s underwear.

Verity and I cleaned up the kitchen. Mummy went to check on the neighbours. Daddy investigated where the leak in the roof was coming from. Daddy found that a tile had been moved and he could move it back to the original position and use sealer to stop the leak. We were incredibly lucky only having minor damage.

Mummy returned and gave us a list of all the problems the neighbours had. Daddy said not to worry as we would all work together. We went outside in the garden and collected Just Joan’s clothes. They were wet, heavy, and muddy. Mummy said it would be a good idea to wash them and dry them for her as Just Joan had no electricity. “We need to be good neighbours,” Mummy said.

People returned to work, school, and nursery. There was a sense that everyone wanted to be prepared and ready for the unexpected. The Buckleberry Community Club made sure they updated their website to keep the community informed. We learned about Farmer Ted’s sheep going missing as they do not like storms. Tall Tony had seen foxes in his garden. Mary the Babysitter noted that a hedgehog had moved into her hedgehog house. The highlight was that Farmer Ted’s wife; Matilda had made a large batch of her famous strawberry jam that we could collect a jar of from the hall. The mention of the jam made everyone cheery. Mummy collected a jar for us to eat.

Thinking of jam and toast, Verity and I went to bed as usual. We were so tired from all the storm events that we went fast asleep. We did not hear the noise downstairs. Mummy and Daddy were tired too. They did not hear the noise downstairs. When we woke in the morning, we were faced with a disaster in the kitchen. It looked like someone had enjoyed a big party.

Mummy, Daddy, Verity and I just stared and rubbed out eyes. What had happened? There was food everywhere. The pantry door was open and anything in packets had been pulled from the shelves. It looked like someone or something had taken the cornflakes packet and emptied it upside down. Food had even been pulled from the fridge. Someone or something had eaten Mummy’s apricot chicken. They had even managed to get the lid off Matilda’s jam. It was all very strange.