Raging Storm

The storm raged for 2 days while Linda and her young son hid in the small bathroom of the apartment. It had been a tense time, but she had been prepared. Linda opened her eyes slowly in the dark bathroom and checked to make sure Luke was still sleeping. It had taken her a long time to convince him it was okay to sleep and she would not let the wind carry him away.

She grabbed around in the semi-dark for the tools she had set carefully beside her, and found the flashlight. Linda moved carefully to the window to see what damage the storm had done. The first thing to catch her eye was the breaking dawn in the distance and she thought 'We made it!'

She finally tore her gaze from the sunrise and began a scan of her immediate area. The comfort and joy she just felt evaporated in an instant. There was water and destruction as far as she could see. Linda had seen a flood before, but this was a raging river full of debris that had been torn from houses and trees.

"Is it over, Mommy?" Luke asked in a quiet voice. She made sure she wore the brightest smile she could plaster on her face and turned around to reassure her son. "Yes, sweetie, it's over. Everything is fine." He rubbed his eyes, stretched, and squinted towards the light streaming into the tiny space. She considered her son's scrunched up face and her smile became genuine. "I told you everything would be alright. As long as we have each other, everything will be fine!" She actually believed it this time.