Pete remembers eating breakfast with his parents and his mother saying she smells a storm. Pete notes that there was no warning in the form of a funnel cloud but that the roof was ripped off the house. Pete’s father declares, “Well, I’m surprised to find myself alive” (7), and after the family confirms they are uninjured, they go outside to inspect the damage. Pete sees a doghouse and then notices it is rattling. Inside, he finds a big black dog who is shaking and panting. Pete tries to coax the dog out with no success. He brings it water and food, but the dog will not eat or drink. Finally, when Pete’s mother calls “supper,” the dog emerges.

Pete asks his father if they can keep the dog and call it Tornado. His father says yes to both, but only if they are unable to find its owner.

In the storm cellar in the present, Pete says that talking about Tornado always reminds him of “something funny that happened one time” (13). The narrator asks if it’s about “the three of hearts” (13), and Pete suggests that if they already know the story, they won’t want to hear it again.