The Calm Before The Storm

[The Challenge: A storm destroys your uncle’s shed and kills his six year old son. Describe the color of the sky before the storm hits.]

Being passenger on the drive towards the farm, my eyes focused on the tar that blurred beneath us and I tried to keep count of the white lines as they raced from my present into my past. The static from the radio and pitch in volume sent a nudge waking up my sleeping mind and I managed to catch the last few words.

“Brace yourselves – an unorganized storm will be upon you soon. It will be chaotic and it will be quick. Find safety.” 

I turned to my aunt for understanding but her eyes were locked on the road ahead and I felt the acceleration as her foot pressed against the gas pedal. The sudden and deafening sound of thunder started to play above our heads and I twisted to follow the sound. The sky that was still tainted with the soft turquoise blue was beginning to hide behind dark, grey clouds that rolled in with a menace, I could feel as well as see the wind as it pushed the clouds together as if wanting to start a fight.
The clouds responded to the winds aggression with a flash of light daring it to push harder and the sky began to cry and wail with the intensity of this unnecessary fight. 

“Do you think we will make it to the farm in time?” I asked my aunt.
She replied with a silent yet firm nod.

The car began to sway as the wind began to rock us backwards and forwards, teasing us to join in with their argument. The windscreen wipers were on full speed and still the rain poured down hindering our view. These taunts didn’t slow my aunt down, she remained steady and focused; her only concern was to get us to the farm where we would be safe with my uncle and their son.
The farm was in view and we slowed enough to turn into the dirt road that would lead us to the solid bricked house, but something wasn’t right.
Now that we were no longer driving towards the rain our vision had cleared slightly and we could see my aunt and uncles six year old son, Neil, run towards the shed with my uncle frantically trying to catch up to him. My aunt hit the gas and we cleared the 200m it took to get towards them.
Before I had time to unbuckle my seat-belt, she had flown out of the car and was running towards my uncle and Neil. The rain stung my face as soon as I was out the car and I got close enough to hear my aunt yell, “What happened?”
“Dog… lightening… escaped… Neil chased after…” My uncle’s words were carried away with the wind as he tried to explain while still keep pace to get Neil.

The storm had reached its peak and the wind had gained a speed which left me unable to run towards the shed to Neil and my family or towards the house that screamed safety, so I stayed by the car holding onto the handle and watched as they tried to grab Neil. ‘Neil must have gotten a head start to leave my uncle so far behind. ‘ I thought. I tried to block my eyes from the rain by using my hand as a shield and watched as Neil ran into the farm shed, my aunt and uncle were only meters away from reaching him, when the stability of the farm shed gave way and collapsed. The double story wooden building that had housed pigs, chickens and the usual farm tools had collapsed and buried it all beneath its history… including six year old Neil.

My hand dropped to my side and I collapsed to the floor as the screams of my aunt and the denial from my uncle pierced my ears. My aunts’ body had mimicked mine and had fallen into a heap on the ground but my uncle was driven with passion and ran towards the rubble searching, seeking.

I looked up at towards the heavens and the rain that had stung my face, now caressed my cheek as gently as a lover. The wind had stilled and was wrapping itself around us, embracing us as if it understood the pain caused by what it had taken. All the clouds which had covered us with its darkness had cleared enough to allow the sky to look through and access the damaged caused by the fight that started only minutes before.

But who had won in this fight?

 

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