We’re already halfway through January and so spring isn’t too far away. At least it’s warmed up a bit here in the UK. I’m going to take the temperature down a little with my prompt this week:
SUPERNATURAL
What does that word mean to you? Ghosts? Paranormal? Magic? Psychic? Perhaps you don’t believe in it, or maybe you’ve experienced something yourself. Alternatively you could create an other-wordly encounter for a character.
You don’t have to share your work, but I always enjoy seeing what you come up with if the prompt gives you inspiration. Here is the work you shared on the last prompt STORM.
Today is my middle son Joshua’s birthday and honestly, his entire life has been a storm. He is short in stature, he is the middle child, but in our little family-he was the oldest. He suffers from ADD, depression, and alcoholism. Yet he has the kindest heart, loves his family, and has that child-like goofiness that makes him so loveable. He’s street smart cause he had to be, angry at times with the world, but mostly, I think with himself. There are moments he’s like a hurricane and other times when he is calm as the sea.
Her body was the tide, his body was the cliff.
And the storm raged on.
Storms are equalizers. High pressure rushes to low pressure, creating equilibrium. I experience less storms when I am balanced
The above photos were taken from our berth on the marina in 2015.
The sky behind us was purple and angry as the storm clouds rolled in. We never worried about floods when we were on the boat as we rose with the water level.
However, those moored on the river weren’t quite so lucky. Getting from their boats to the car park sometimes included waders as the walkways were under water as they didn’t have the pontoon flood defences the marina basins did.
So this time I’ll just tell about two of my dogs I had when I was a kid … Stormy, and Dusty.
***
This photo was taken in black & white, in the back yard in 1957. Stormy was just a mixed breed white and fluffy little dog, maybe part Cocker Spaniel? I’m standing on an old weathered door that was on the ground, and wearing a print dress, and my hair was fairly short.
***
STORMY
I named him Stormy, King of the World
My best friend, when I was a girl
I cried and cried when Stormy died
No longer was he by my side
Now, nothing could ever be the same
Never more to call his name
Stormy
***
A strange incident was a few years later my cousin & I were playing with the Ouija board. I asked would I get a dog? It said yes. I asked when? It said January. (this was back in the fall). Sure enough, come January, I did get a puppy. I named him Dusty, and he was an awesome dog, who lived with us for many years. The photo shows Dusty, who was the same kind of dog that Stormy was, white & fluffy.
Indiana is an under the radar state. Not widely known, some people would have trouble pinpointing where it lies on a map. We have a reputation for skilled basketball players. And we get some extreme weather, unfortunately. We have tornadoes, thunderstorms, flooding, snow and ice storms, below zero temperatures, and hot summers with high humidity. The weather can change dramatically from one day to the next. One winter we had a terrifying storm.
It was January and it was cold. I believe the year was 1994. The snow started falling and soon visibility disappeared. The prediction was for 10-13 inches of snow. Actual air temperature was 10 below zero. The governor issued a stay at home order and people tried to stay off the roads. But businesses don’t shut down for inclement weather, and many had to report to work or lose their jobs. Tragically, this resulted in car break downs and accidents.
At my home, we were battling the cold and trying to keep our pipes from freezing. In a storm like this, ice accumulation is common, and the weight of the ice pulls down limbs and power lines. Thank God we had power.
My brother-in-law, Kenny, was driving home from work and the snow drifts were terrible. By then the wind chill was 30 below zero. His car was old and not in good condition, and about 2 miles from home it stopped running. Kaput, it was done. No one had cell phones back then. There was no way to call for help. You were just on your own. He and my sister lived in the country and the nearest house was his own. He couldn’t stay in the car, he would freeze to death. So Kenny looked around the car to see what he could use. My sister’s washing machine was broken, so there was a basket of laundry in the back seat. Working quickly, Kenny removed his coat and began pulling on two pairs of jeans that he found in the basket, along with as many shirts as he could fit over himself. He tied a shirt around his neck, and pulled it over his face up to his eyes. He pulled his coat on over all the clothes. Searching the trunk for a flashlight, he hit gold when he found one with good batteries. He could barely see, and the road was gone, buried under snow. Watching for familiar trees and landmarks, he started heading for home, one slow step after another. He told us he honestly didn’t know if he would make it. When he saw his house on a hill up ahead, he thought his chest would explode with happiness. He made it home that night, frozen and exhausted, shaking and numb, but alive.
The calm of the storm lingered for a bit. I didn’t trust it for one moment. The shelter for the rugby players wasn’t very strong, and the wind was blowing. They were afraid the wind would blow the shelter over.
The rugby team was coed, and some girls knitted while waiting for the game to restart. A few of the jokesters were juggling while waiting.
“Hey, Randy, what are you writing?” Calvin asked.
“I am working on my toast for Marvin’s wedding next week.”
“Oh, so he picked you as the best man? I thought he had picked me.”
“He asked me today. Sorry, I know you wanted it also. I am surprised he didn’t tell you. He told me he couldn’t decide and was having co-best men. He should tell you soon, I’m sure.”
“He did tell me. I was wondering if you would tell me or not, that is why I waited a bit. I was going to tell you in a few minutes.”
“Oh, you, jester, always fooling around.”
“Hey, why isn’t Judy here tonight to watch this sad game?”
“Judy has jury duty and is sequestered, so she won’t be home until they let them go. She might not make the wedding. So it is good that she wasn’t picked as part of the wedding attendants.”
The announcer announced that the game would resume as the storm seemed to be winding down. The crowd roared.
My mother was petrified of thunderstorms, she would go round the house unplugging everything, including the tele.
As a child, if it stormed in the night, I would get in bed with mum and dad, and we’d count the seconds between the lightning and thunder.
I know mum passed her fear onto me; I was determined not to do the same thing with my children. To my surprise, reassuring them made my own fears disappear.
A couple of years ago, I got caught in a storm, while out for a walk along a canal. On my own, I sheltered under a bridge, and the noise of the thunder bouncing off the walls was horrendous.
Calmy, I waited it out.
It may seem a small thing, but I was so proud of myself.
Wet weather
We awake
To the crashing
Of thunder
And heavy drumming
Of African rain
The phone shrills
It’s 5 am
We can’t go out
On this first morning
Of the New Year
It’s too wet
The guide is sorry
Disappointment
Vias with enthusiasm
For more sleep
Gradually
The rain winds down
Petering out from ferocious
To soft English-styled drizzle
The 4 pm game drive is on –
The safari vehicle arrives
Off we go
At the river crossing
The water’s deep
And churning
The guide ventures forth
But pulls up short
It’s too deep
We’ll try the bridge
The bridge is passable – just
Brown water roars and rushes
On either side
As we make the crossing
“A car was swept away here,”
The guide remarks
“After last night’s party
The driver was drunk
Attempted the submerged bridge
And was washed away
Downstream
They’re searching for the bodies.”
***
Esther Chilton 
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