Train Of Thought

The sun is high in the sky, its bright rays baking the red clay dirt into a solid brick. The air is suffocatingly still. Puffs of dust explode from the ground with even the slightest movement. A dark wall of rain clouds can be seen in the distance, slowly moving in. Civilians peer sanguinely at the huge gray mass. Their yearning stares bringing the tension in the town to a tangible level. Children play in the dirt while their parents and grandparents watch, discussing the severity of the situation.

“Think it’s gon’ rain?” questions the old man.

“God, I sure hope so,” replies his wife.

A cool breeze blows softly as if Mother Earth was gently sighing. The clouds move in more quickly now. They’re no longer just a wall of gray, but a huge green blanket covering the land. It grows darker and darker until the sun is gone, completely shrouded in the green blanket. Small water droplets start to fall from the sky cooling the air. The perfume of the damp soil permeates the air, answering the prayers of the people. The rain has come.

The cool breeze becomes a howling wind. The velocity of the gusts increasing exponentially by the second. The trees begin to sway with ferocity. The people make their way indoors, scurrying to shelter like small rodents. Children are shooed from the window sills. Shutter and storm windows are fastened with haste. No longer a chilly sprinkle, the rain comes down in ice cold sheets. Water pools on the rock hard dirt forming knee-deep puddles. Blinding flashes of lightning brighten the sky while rolling thunder quakes the earth. With a deafening “CRACK!” lightning strikes a tree sending up a shower of sparks. The tree crashes to the ground with a thud. Wind speeds continue to increase while limbs and leaves are ripped from the trees. The clouds are churning above, creating a massive swirl of green and gray. The rain still falls in sheets, pounding against the ground.

Suddenly, as if a switch was flipped, everything stops. The sheets of rain are reduced to the pitter-patter of a sprinkle. Harsh, howling gales dwindle to a mere, crisp breeze. The world is abruptly calm. An eerie silence creeps across the land as its inhabitants survey the damage. uprooted trees and broken branches pepper the lawns of friends and family. The earth that was once brick hard is now a gooey mud mash. The breeze blows again, parting the clouds. Rays of luminous sunshine peek through. They dance around like lasers at a light show. the raindrops reflect the light like little diamonds. For a moment the whole world in ablaze. Between the rays of sunlight, a splash of color can be seen. The perfect end to a perfect storm.