22 August 2009

The afternoon storm

There was no rain, but the thunder rumbled almost continuously for two hours, the kabooms getting louder and more frequent. The sky was a light gray and finally the drops fell. A deluge soon followed.

Out my windows there was a bright flash and KAPOW! My heart stopped, the lightning was so close, the sound even louder coming through my window a/c. Flash, KAPOW! Again, there was not enough time to count between the lightning and the thunder. My light flickered, but I'd already stopped reading mid-page. Flash, KAPOW! The power went out, came back on briefly, and then went out for good after a fourth close lightning strike. I was impressed that it'd stayed on as long as it had.

Moving downstairs so that I could be a bit further away from windows seemed wise, so I did that. Through the sliding glass door across from me in the living room, I saw a thick piece of branch hurtle into the deck with a clink and thunk. Sounded like it hit some glass on the way down.

With distance, the kapows morphed into intermittent kabooms, and eventually it was quiet except for the rain. It was too dark to read, so I put my laundry away in the semi-darkness, and then waited for the power to return.

Over an hour later we supped by artificial candlelight on finger sandwiches: cucumber, tomato, and roast beef; and smoked oysters, chips, and fritos. A light from the living room flicked on behind us and the clock on the CD player started to blink. We finished eating in the romanticized gloom.


2 years ago on TTaT: Howdy, pardner

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