The Storm Watcher

THE STORM WATCHER

She sits staring out over the sea; her window open wide so she can smell the salt air as the wind blows it across the beach. A gathering storm is approaching and as she watches the sky she can see this will not be just another storm. In her room overlooking the water she feels the peace that comes from within and breathes in deeply the scent that she loves so much, the ocean just before a storm.
The thunder crashes in the distance and she grows excited as she can now hear the impending rain and knows that what she has been hoping for, longing for, is about to happen. No more guessing when it will come, when it will absorb all the sunlight and force darkness to cover the sky.
The boom and crash of lightning can be heard for what seem miles away and she can see the dance it performs over the huge waves rolling onto the shore. This is a moment that she cherishes, a time when sea, sand, wind and rain form the center of her universe and she shivers from the pure joy of it.
The wind is blowing hard, so hard that it slams the shutters on the windows and she reaches out to hook them back; no hiding from the storm as she has been anticipating all the elements of nature to speak their magic; singing a celebration for lost souls whom have only hope to see them through another day.
Lifting her hands in praise to the maker of the storm, she lets the wind blow the rain in upon her and relishes every drop as it falls into puddles at her feet, leaving wet spots on her floor. Crashing thunder shakes the very foundation of her house and she laughs, giddy with happiness at the awesome wonder of the sound. Making a sudden decision she runs out of the bedroom and down her staircase.
She needs to be out in this storm, has needed it for days, weeks, and even months; it is her only friend, her true soul-mate, this tempest. Lightening, sharp and brilliant in its display, serves to warm her to the depths of her being and barefoot she hurries down the beach, careless of the waves crashing down with an artful, powerful show. Here she will rush head-on to despair, that very thing that some call loneliness. Running until she no longer has breath left, she gets to a place that she feels safe and stops to stare out over the ocean, her face to the wind and the storm beating down around her. No longer laughing, she is listening to the call of the squall and the magic it reveals to her in its amazing beauty. She is a storm watcher and she is carried away by the exhilaration of the emotions welling up within her.
As the storm rages on over the ocean, the storm within her begins to abate. Throwing her head back she absorbs the rhythms of the fury of nature. She laughs into the reality of strength, not only the storms, but the very strength within herself. As far as the east is from the west she can now cast upon the storm the troubles of her heart and soul.
The winds are beginning to lose some of their tremendous force and as she watches the clouds race further out towards the open sea. The saving grace of the storm has given her peace; hope to heal her heartache and loneliness and she embraces the freedom. In the distance can be heard the departing elements of the storm: wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, and as she slowly makes her way back up the beach towards home the sun appears through the clouds.
She sits staring out over the sea, her window open and she smells the salt air as the wind blows it across the beach. In her room overlooking the sea she feels peace, and breathes in deeply the scent that she loves; the smell of the ocean after a storm. She knows that the loneliness and depression will seek her out before the morning, but at least for now she has found some comfort; it serves as a balm for her abandoned soul.
Word count 717