Two-Hour Thunderstorm

Blogging Friends.... I feel as though I've rediscovered my "calling" in life, despite the fact that it has, honestly, always been there. My life "calling" as a writer!! And now. All I want to partake in during my spare time is writing!! Doing so brings me such immense inner happiness, plus a sense of purpose!! That being mentioned. I have at least twain different Blog posts just awaiting my Brain Juices to create!! Oh yeah. And I wrote this story yesterday.

 

The force of nature can certainly possess ill timing, sneaking up to its unsuspecting onlookers like some surprising military ambush. I think of tornados which can do some powerful demolition against homes. Or hurricanes that flood city streets with rushing, filthy rainwater like back in Biblical Noah's era. The force of nature can certainly possess ill timing, sneaking up to its unsuspecting onlookers like some surprising military ambush. Which is not always a negative concept!! The other night {Or shall I write early, early, early morning!!} my slumber was abruptly interrupted by twain things. Loud, rumbling thunder which was in very close proximity to our house. And a terrified, noise phobic Rose!! I was--and still am, I'm afraid!!--"in recovery" from this nasty chest cold. {Although. I have gone nearly all day long medication-free!!} Sleep is precious right now, as I was rudely awoken by an asthma attack at midnight just last week. Plus Rose panics during the most minuscule events, thus making it difficult at times to know whether or not she is terrified for legitimate reasons. Confession. My initial reaction to Rose and rumbling thunder awakening me? I was frustrated. Not to mention. Groggy, snotty, and unsure of whether or not the thunder was even reality. Did I dream it? I wondered, as my eyes peered outside our living room window, looking for streetlight-illuminated rain-soaked roads. They were bone-dry. But then I watched Rose's body language closely. I knew that something was wrong. But what? A firework, perhaps? Yes, I was still unsure of what, exactly, awoke me and terrified my girl. A backfire, perhaps? Whatever it may be, something was wrong. My frustrated attitude immediately softened like melted frosting, and I lead a reluctant Rose back into our bedroom. As I sat on hard carpeted flooring beside her, that is when I saw it. Like The Invisible Woman from Fantastic Four was snapping pictures in midnight's ebony darkness. One, two, three consecutive bright flashes of lightning!! Mystery solved, Sherlock Holmes!! I gasped in pure awe upon witnessing this magnificent display of God's creation. Meanwhile, a spooked Rose attempted to escape it. So I linked her spare red leash, we walked toward the great room, and I held my girl captive like some incarcerated prisoner. {Cruel, I know. But Rose will have accidents if I do not hold her!!} In the great room, we would wait this passing storm out. Together. I never did hear any further thunder.... But my ears are a bit plugged by wax right now!! No matter. Rose's ears could hear that rumbling thunder!! I sat on the carpeted floor, my back against our red couch, and stroked her velvet-soft fur. I stroked, stroked, stroked and stroked away. I sang to Rose, as my singing comforts her somehow. I hugged Rose. Literally. I wrapped my arms around a hard breathing, panting, trembling Rose. I embraced Rose so tight, that I could feel the muscles in her shoulders tense up!! I repeatedly spoke these words. "This too shall pass.". Because, after all, it is a storm. This too shall pass!! Meanwhile, I witnessed twain separate bolts of lightning through our great room window like eliminated veins in one's arm!! And they were sideways!! It. Was. Awesome!! I am fearlessly mesmerized by lightning--because I'm insane!!--and I've had to remind myself just how dangerous this force of nature is!! See. I would be standing outside watching powerful bolts of lightning stretch across our heavens if not for common sense!! Thank God for common sense!! Mostly, Miss Invisible Woman continued snapping "pictures", so to speak, through the ebony clouds!! Eventually, all I could see was a distant glowing ball through towering trees, as though God Himself was turning a flashlight on and off, on and off, on and off. This too shall pass? Hmmm. That thunderstorm persisted for well over two hours!! That's right. Two. Freakin'. Hours!! At one point, I mistakenly thought it was over. I thought it was over!! And at 1AM--now high on albuterol, which shoots an adrenaline rush through my system and makes me giddy--a line from Hollywood's film "Twister" randomly appeared within that crazy head of mine. "The cone is silent.". But, shortly thereafter, hailstones fell from those ebony clouds. Then, Miss Invisible Woman snapped yet even more pictures!! And, just like in "Twister", our thunderstorm was not finished!! Wow. I have never experienced a storm to persist that long!! Never. For thunder awoke me at midnight, and I went back to bed--officially!!--around two. It was amazing, God's display of nature!! Oh yes. And Rose, as per usual, recovered from any form of post traumatic stress disorder!!