Slice of Life Story Challenge- Seriously, It Was A Dark and Stormy Night

It’s been a wet and windy weekend. No Doubt. Autumn’s predominant colour so far has been grey all the way!
Last night, as I closed up the house and retired to bed, the wind howled and hissed outside. I peaked through an upstairs window as the wind bullied the neighbourhood. I marvelled at its many voices.  It slapped and blasted the trees, the swishing leaves and branches, scratching and scraping across the surface of the night. It rudely invaded every nook and cranny causing the blinds on our bedroom window to rattle slightly as it whistled in. it was a song discordant to my ears.

This wind was in a ruthless mood. It was thrashing the trees and anything loose was being swept up in a flurry. This wrecker wind made everything in its path appear vulnerable. I heard the faint sound of the wind chimes in the backyard as they danced and dinged to the will of its brawling gusts.

As I settled into bed, the wind continued to hiss and shriek around us. The house creaked and twitched and as I slipped under the covers. Twigs and branches scraped across the roof before being moved along.

Thunder clapped and roared, somehow seeming louder in the darkness. The wind died away momentarily and the normal silence of the evening returned. I found it soothing. I waited for the wind’s return. It had rolled away. Instead, a few hesitant drops of rain fell. The drops  gradually developed into a steady downpour, persisting for some time. The sound of  slow, steady rain on the roof as always, brought a sense of comfort. I soon faded off to sleep like the rest of the family. 

The next morning presented a scene of a somewhat blotchy and beaten  landscape, courtesy of that tyrant wind. A large lightpole in the carpark directly in front of the supermarket had toppled at the height of the storm. Mercifully, it had fallen when no cars, or people were about.

Comments

  1. Raivenne4 March 2012 at 19:34

    I have always enjoyed the sound of a steady rain on a tin roof. This also reminds me of spring storms just before it all bursts into vibrant colors. Very nicely described.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Elizabeth G.4 March 2012 at 21:46

    You paint such an amazing picture with your description. We have some horrid storms where I live and I could quickly relate to each detail. Hopefully those nights are far and few between.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Donna Smith4 March 2012 at 22:22

    Wonderful description of that old bully!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wanda Brown4 March 2012 at 23:19

    Alan, I am very auditory...your piece played in my head like a mp3 through earphones. I loved this phrase, "wind bullied the neighbourhood". I never thought of the wind as a bully but I will now.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wanda Brown4 March 2012 at 23:20

    Alan, I am very auditory...your piece played in my head like a mp3 through earphones. I loved this phrase, "wind bullied the neighbourhood". I never thought of the wind as a bully but I will now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright5 March 2012 at 09:49

      Thanks Wanda, it is always assuring to think the words got inside and that visualization is taking place. Afterall, that is our goal as writers...The bully has subsided-for now.

      Delete
  6. Katherine Sokolowski5 March 2012 at 01:08

    Great post - I could absolutely picture your landscape with that evil wind. :) It has been crazy weather here in the midwest and the wind, in the shape of a tornado, has been a big bully.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Terje 5 March 2012 at 01:25

    I enjoyed reading this. You must have enjoyed crafting this piece.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Kari5 March 2012 at 03:07

    Such great imagery of that wind! It seems very the wind is being a bully, here too....it's causing much destruction. I felt very connected to your piece.

    ReplyDelete
  9. elsie5 March 2012 at 04:45

    Every word, no, every syllable so artfully placed in this descriptive writing was so perfect. Please tell me you labored long and hard to create this or was it something you were able to dash off because the words just tumbled from your mind? This is AWESOME!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright5 March 2012 at 09:27

      Elsie, sometimes the words tumble out and fall in the right places. Sometimes they call out for reshaping. I really enjoyed writing this piece, and so I gave it a bit of extra care. Revision can be fun! It also saved me from some work I didn't feel as connected to...
      Glad you liked it.

      Delete
    2. Katie5 March 2012 at 09:41

      I have to agree. This slice had a very particular cadence to it that just felt right.

      Delete
  10. iteachatec5 March 2012 at 08:42

    I loved the picture your words created...so vivid. We have been experiencing a lot of the might of the wind here in Southwestern Ontario too. So much so that our shared reading selection last week was a poem 'The Wind' where the wind is personified as a wolf!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright5 March 2012 at 09:30

      How appropriate is that! The wind as a wolf.
      Thank you for your feedback.

      Delete

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