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Changing Seasons
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Changing Seasons |
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Nicole Senior Member
since 1999-06-23
Posts 1835Florida 
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It was quiet. Quiet for a primary school’s playground during noon recess. That is…according to the perception of one particular five-year old child. Just then, the odd little thing was crouched on a small hill pondering the sky and fingering a very large, yellow-mottled maple leaf. And her name? Nicole. No that’s not entirely true, she wasn’t odd just very quiet. Often, when she was around adults, they would talk about her as if she wasn’t there, they would refer to her as ‘beyond her years’ or ‘mature for her age’. That’s not entirely true either, she wasn’t mature for her age…just lonely. Adults by and large are much more accepting when it comes to being sociable than say, your average 5 year old. Nicole was very much aware of this and therefore, spent most of her time around adults. She also never really had the time to make friends of her peers, due to her father’s occupation. Jack Bennett raced greyhounds for a living; and like the dogs chase the lure ‘round the track, he and his family would chase the track circuits every three months. Contrary to what some might have thought though, she wasn’t an unhappy child. Not at all, in fact, she was quite content with her life-style; it was indeed all she knew. She was only just a little more aware of, and comfortable with, the concept of solitude than most her age. Nicole did have one friend that she could relate to, each providing in the other that needed sense of comfort in sharing a common ground. Henry was three years older than her, which placed him in the third grade; unfortunately though, at this school the two did not share recess. He was the son of another kennel owner, ever her ‘protector’ (much to her constant dismay) whenever he got the chance, and was often referred to as ‘the scrapper’. Recess that day started just as it did any other school day. She had no routine, mostly just acted upon whatever caught her whimsical eye. The maple leaves on the ground at the far end of the playground were definitely calling her name, she was just absolutely in awe over their colors. They were studying trees and leaves in school, and she was having a time trying to understand how the leaves ‘drank’ the sunlight. Looking down at the brilliantly colored maple leaf, Nicole wondered if that’s why it was yellow. It wasn’t sudden, the feeling of unease. It gradually built in the pit of her stomach until she couldn’t crouch comfortably and the hairs on her arms raised in goose-bumps. Still holding the leaf, she gazed up at the horizon and a small shiver coursed through her little frame. One end of the expansive panorama gave a view of sunlight and a few fluffy clouds; the other end though, the one that was over her city, looked dirty. It was as if some giant had come and smudged the sky with a big charcoal stick. Off in the distance she could hear something, the resonance of it was so deep that she could actually feel it. The sound was huge, it was like a white roaring static…and it was getting louder. Then she heard them, the city’s sirens, and at that moment she was sorely wishing her scrapper friend was with her. As she stood to turn and run down the hill towards the more populated area of the playground, the siren on top of the school started sounding off. In her brain, logic and reasoning clicked on, realization dawned, which was shortly followed by a healthy dose of panic – and she froze for an instant. In Colorado Springs the schools had three different types of drills: earthquake, fire, and tornado. The air-raid like sounding siren on top of the school was used only for tornado drills, and since the city’s sirens were going off at the same time, that of course only meant one thing. It was not a drill. Nicole ran, as fast as her knobby too long legs could carry her, surpassing even the comfort of balance. She ran to the first adult she could find, who was gathering as many children as she could and shoving them down into the perimeter trenches of the playground. She crouched down there, in a little ball just as instructed, with about twenty other children. The adult woman clucked and flapped about like a hen around her eggs, trying to get everyone smooshed together and in place, and then she crouched down as well. In a matter of minutes the white static sound she heard earlier had progressed to a deep deafening roar that was so huge she could feel it in her teeth. Fingers of wind tugged and snatched at her hair, she could feel the dust from the playground biting her bare arms, and she could feel the biting pelt of small hail stones…her ears popped. For some unexplainable reason, Nicole did what all of the teachers told the children to never do in a situation like this. She looked up. She looked up and saw chaos, in its finest golden hour; and it frightened her worse than anything ever had. The biggest, darkest most evil column of swirling air that she had never even imagined roared by her school a mere 200 or so feet away. To her sheer amazement, the tornado picked up and threw a truck on top of the school. Then she saw the woman, running. She was obviously trying to run for some kind of safety, but was close enough for Nicole to see her face. It was contorted in a grimace of absolute terror. She screamed, and then was gone. That scream ripped into the innocent ear-drums of this five-year old, and molded them into reality. For the first, and only time in her life, she saw death. Looked at it straight in the eye, unblinking; as time slowed to a halt, almost as if Chronos himself laid his hourglass on its side just for her. Then all went black. I still don’t know if what I heard was the woman who died in the tornado screaming, or if it was me. [This message has been edited by Satiate (edited 05-16-2000).] |
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| © Copyright 2000 Nicole Williams - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Dawn Eclipse Senior Member
since 2000-01-31
Posts 637The Horsehead Nebula |
That was a very interesting story! Interesting to the end! There is great mystery in tornado's... both enchanting and horror.. nicely done. "Even a fool knows you can't touch the stars, but it doesn't stop a wise man from trying." Harry Anderson, "Night Court" *Cassandra Roseen* |
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Dusk Treader
Moderator
Senior Member
since 1999-06-18
Posts 1187St. Paul, MN |
Wonderful tale you've woven here, dare I ask if it was true? Extremely vivid writing I saw everything Nicole saw. Loved that last line too, throws the reader (Like me) a turn. This was great! I loved it  Abrahm Simons "You... You are so special You have the talent To make me feel like Dirt" - Alice in Chains, "Dirt" |
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netswan Senior Member
since 2000-03-28
Posts 1369Washington |
Satiate, this story kept me reading- it is full of imagery and people -- and a twist for an ending that was for sure -- It was an excellent read. Thanks. netswan |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
... Umm... ... I, uhhh... Whew. Nic, this was GRIPPING! The voice you used through this caught hold of me and refused to let go. Not that the "voice" was cold, but rather somewhat distant, as if the subject was disassociated from herself was amazing. Made me wonder if that was actually the case, until the realization at the end, when you admitted that it was indeed you. A terrible thing for anyone to have to witness, much less a child. Bravely written my friend. And INCREDIBLY well told. HUGS Chris PS- To those who asked, this is a true story, in response to the challenge I posted in The Challenge Forum. Go look and try your hand at it. |
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WolfsMate Member
since 2000-01-14
Posts 121New York |
WOW!! This pulls the reader right in. Enjoyed this much! "You never have to worry...Never fear for I am near" |
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Danny Holloway Member Elite
since 2000-01-15
Posts 2034Tulsa, OK |
Satiate, enjoyed reading this story. You are a multi-talented writer! This was an interesting and attention keeping story. ~~nice writing~~ |
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