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SOL: Just Passing Through


The sun was slowly rising in the east, peering through our back windows.  Light and bright, more and more as each minute passed.  Before my husband left for work Monday morning, he warned me.  He said they were coming.

"I know. I know." Shaking my head.  Pretending that I heard him.

"Good morning, sunshines!" I whisper to my daughters in delight. "Let's have breakfast!"

As we enjoyed our bananas and cereal, the clouds moved in. Blue skies and sunshine were pushed out of sight and replaced with gray, dark clouds that rolled in quickly.

"Wow. Where did our beautiful sunshine go girls?"  The winds picked up. The trees were limboing to see who could sway closest to the ground.  The rain pelted the ground.  A flash of light lit up the kitchen.  The tears of fear began to fall.

I swooped down and grabbed both of my girls.  Holding on tight, we scampered down the stairs into the dark, dark basement.  Their cries became louder and louder unsure of what was happening.

We sat on a rug huddled together with a windup radio, a cell phone, and a flash light.  I calmly talked to the girls telling them what was happening.  My soothing voice relaxed them for the moment.  The phone rang.

"Dada! Dada!" The girls shouted out.  Any time a phone rings, they think it is Dada.

"We are okay. We made it to the basement. The power is out.  I think a branch fell on the power lines."

"I told you they were coming.  I'm glad you went to the basement too.  I had to pull over on the side of the road.  There are trees and branches littering the streets."  My husband replied.  "I'm coming home."

Our knight in shining armor arrived in time to start up the generator and save our food.  We learned to live without the rest: lights, computers, TVs, fans, air conditioning.

It was actually quite an enjoyable day. Peace and quiet.  We didn't miss the constant noise and disruptions of the phone or TV.  But, we were happy to hear the click of the power after 13 hours without it on a hot, humid day in July.

Comments

  1. Glad you're ok storms are scary no matter what age. But I wish we had some of that rain:) maybe tonight!

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  2. I think the type of day you describe are the kinds of moments we all remember for a long time. Glad you were all OK and that you made a great day of it.

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  3. wow-I like the description, "trees limboing" is quite an image. I'm glad you are all okay, and your house too!

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  4. Your descriptions are incredible! What I visualized made me glad I was here instead of there. We've had too many of those storms pass our way. Glad you were able to make a positive out of a scary day.

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  5. Great job pulling me into the moment. Right off the bat I am drawn in with a sense of suspense. "What's coming?" I wondered. Your description brought the moment to life.

    I was tense with fear, and then relieved. Amazing how a short little snippet of writing can create a small journey. Thank you.

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  6. Hmmm. Reminds me of an evening in my past, actually a couple. My son was not too fond of thunder storms after living in Minnesota in his early years. Scary things. Glad you were fine!

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  7. You know you're a great writer when... "He said they were coming." makes me think of a million things, not the storm that passed by my home as well!
    This is one great slice!!

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  8. Wow--you pulled us all in with this well-crafted slice! Nice job capturing the rapidly changing emotions.

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  9. I've read this slice several times, Michelle. It is so well done! The line about your husband "He said they were coming." brought many images to my head, but not a storm! I loved the descriptions and the change in feelings as I read through the piece...just great!

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  10. WOW Michelle...how true I relived that storm through your words. . . great writing my friend!

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  11. This was scary. Especially the part when you grabbed your daughters. I am glad that it all ended well.

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