The Storm's Rage

The Storm's Rage 

by TD Cooper

http://www.tdcooperbooks.com

The Storm’s Rage 

Thunder clapped in the distance, and the wind roared through the one-room schoolhouse. Our teacher excused class early, instructing us to go home straight away before the storm hit. 

“Dena, stay with me,” Patrick whispered to me. I reached for his hand as we crossed the last step at the bottom of the stairs. The other, younger students scattered, screaming into the wind and blowing dust toward their homes. Miss Palmer closed the double doors and with one hand on her hat, the other lifting her full skirts, she ran across the dusty road, and into a waiting carriage. Patrick and I made a quick turn and hid in the bushes. 

“Pat, my dad will kill me if he finds us together,” I whispered, looking up into the wicked, tumultuous sky. There wasn’t a ray of sunshine or a spot of blue. The wind whipped and swirled, ringing the bell on top of the building. My skirt flew up blinding me as Patrick held me close.

“This storm is worse than I thought, we need to get back inside,” Patrick said, holding me around the waist. The wind pulled the door out of Pat’s hand and slammed into the inside wall. It took both of us to close it.

“
Land sakes!” I exclaimed, giggling.

“Listen…,” Patrick said, “Did you hear someone scream tornado?” I stared at him wide-eyed.

“What should we do?” 

“Get under the desk! I’ll see if there are any blankets or coats, something,” he said, running off to the coat closet.

I listened to the wind rattle the slats on the schoolhouse and the bell ringing above my head. The thunder got closer, and the rain began to fall. My heart raced. Pat came back with two blankets and a woolen coat. He made us a mat using the outerwear as a pillow. We laid in each other’s arms, imagining all sort of deadly scenarios. 

“Are we going to die?” I whispered. Patrick gazed into my eyes and kissed me. I took that to mean, maybe. I kissed him back. 

“If we die at least we’ll be together, and our feuding families will have to acknowledge our love,” Pat whispered.

“I do love you.” 

“Oh, good, I was afraid of how you’d answer this next question…,” he said, looking deep into my eyes. “Marry me?”

“Really — Yes!” I shouted over the wind and rain.

“Hey, we use this building as a church on Sundays. I’ll marry you right now and then our families, who have been feuding for decades, maybe even centuries, will have to talk to each other. 

Patrick kissed me with the same intensity as the storm. I responded, believing I’d never get another chance to share our love, when we came up for air, it was quiet, deathly quiet. The rainstorm had paused as we walked out of the schoolhouse, not a leaf on a tree swayed, nor a raindrop fell, but the devastation around us was unmistakable. A tornado had hit the area.  

The clouds parted, allowing the rays of the sun to stretch to the ground, it was as if God was wrapping us in his arms. How would we explain ourselves to our parents, I wondered, but it was unimportant at this moment in this time, we were one, and we’d survived the horrible rage of Mother Nature.

http://www.tdcooperbooks.com