Her Eye on the Storm

Her Eye on the Storm

Melanie had a death grip on both her cell phone and the remote control, which was silly really, considering that he couldn’t call, and she wouldn’t change the channel. The volume on the television was low, so as not to wake the children, but the image on that screen had Melanie’s heart drumming loudly. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the monstrous category five storm now battering her beloved home.

John, her firefighter husband, remained behind on emergency call for the duration of this nightmare. Since a hurricane was no place for their children, Melanie and the girls headed for safety at grandma’s house. The five hour trip usually flew by with off key singing and the “punch buggy” game that created giggles and left bruises. But this trip was different, no singing, no laughter, only wide, moist eyes from the backseat that mirrored Melanie’s own.

The last time she spoke to John she was creeping along with traffic towards Atlanta while he tried to comfort her with promises of his safety in the reinforced firehouse. She knew he was right, but that comfort, along with all means of communication was dead now. No telling how long it would be before she could confirm his prediction held true.

Melanie’s heart dropped to her stomach every time she thought of all she left behind. John was her main concern, but what of her neighbors? Margaret and Frank had spent the past fifty years dodging storms. Would she ever have Margaret at her kitchen table again? Would she even have a kitchen tomorrow morning? And her grandmother’s recipes! She forgot to pack them! Would those precious memories be lost forever? Melanie buried her head in her shaking hands, her thoughts tearing through her head like the very storm she was tracking.

Submitted for "So Emotional" contest
Word count: 300
Emotion Prompt: Worry