Nature, Y U So Scary? · 7:55am Aug 2nd, 2016
So, let me be the first to say that I'm not afraid of thunder or lightning. Yes, the idea of getting struck by it is a little unnerving, but so long as I'm inside or something, it really doesn't scare me all that much...
At least, till now... Here, while I'm still emotionally charged...
My eyes snapped open as the roar slowly faded away. My heart raced. Was I still dreaming? There is no way thunder could be that loud. Could it?
Nah, I thought to myself, wiping some drool from my face and rolling over. However, the not-so-soft patter of rain kept my eyes open, for one reason or another. I hadn't heard rain this loud in some time. Maybe I was-
FLASH
It was lighting to fill up the entirety of my window. The thunder followed instantaneously, a scream of raw violence - a cry of a violent, vicious world, looking to rip and tear through anything in it's path. It was loud enough to shake my whole house. Loud enough to reverberate through my entire body like the thrum of a baseline.
BOOM!
I snapped up, eyes darting. Had that struck close? It sounded like it hit in our back yard. Terror hit me. Terror and a very slight amount of morbid amazement. Thunder and Lightning like this, you hear and saw maybe once - twice tops - in a lifetime. Making sure all the animals were inside, I hurried up the steps to find my mother, nudging her awake.
"You've got to hear this..."
The next bolt flashed just outside the window again. The roar was even louder this time, if that was possible. My heart tried to pound it's way out of my chest and break for the hills. Anywhere but in the middle of this storm. Houses were safe during storms like this, weren't they? We'd be fine.
And then, I heard the sirens.
Firetrucks, already on the move, rushing to what I assumed to be nearby locations, brimming with fresh flames. I heard the unique sirens of local police and paramedics. I heard another scream from the sky, knowing that if mother had been looking at me during that flash, I would have most certainly been truly gripped by terror. That lightning had struck close. Very, very close. Close enough to shake our entire home. Close enough that the sirens all gathered to this area. Close enough that... Well... Maybe we were just very lucky.
I never feared nature like I did in that moment.
I never respected nature like I did in that moment.
Ye Gods...
The thunder had calmed and the lightning is distant. I can still here sirens... I hope nobody was hurt too badly. I walked down the steps, carrying a shivering cat on a shoulder and a newfound respect for the ferocity of nature in my heart.
I don't know if I'll be able to sleep again tonight. I'm going to damn well try... I'll talk to you all tomorrow. Or, today, I suppose. Keep safe!
-Inkheart
Oh, man. That reminds me of the time when I was 11, and I was outside in a thunderstorm with my friends. I was just talking, and laughing, blah blah blah, and then literally RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, lightning struck the sidewalk.
That's not an exaggeration, either. The lightning struck like... 5-6 feet in front of me.
I guess that's when my brain kicked in and said: "What the fuck are you doing in the middle of a thunderstorm?"
Damn, I know how that feels. Good luck, man.