Boulders from the Town Mountain coal mining site crashed into River’s middle school during basketball practice, and five boys were injured, including River’s best friend, Mark. The boulders came from the mountaintop removal site, and the school buildings will need to be completely rebuilt. Mawmaw’s activist group is now motivated to fight even harder against the coal mining company. 

Meena saw the news story and is worried about River. She decides to send an email in hopes of getting a quick response that he is ok.

River is unharmed, but his friend Mark’s leg is severely injured, and the doctors say he will never play basketball again. The boulder that hit the gym weighed three tons, and it was a scary experience for River.