Magical Storm

A Magical Storm

by Megan Shaulis

The fire was crackling. The tree leaves were rustling. We were all sitting around the campfire. The heat grew more intense with each rough log we tossed upon the burning pile. Each brisk gust of wind pierced my senses with smoke. Sparks gracefully dance up through the tall trees like fireflies on a warm spring evening. One of my friends sat across the fire ring, gently strumming his guitar. A peaceful atmosphere surrounded us all as we hummed and sang the words to the beautiful song that now lingered in the air.

The wind gradually picked up and the clouds rolled in. In the distance was a faint murmur of thunder. The music played on and became the focus of everyone’s attention. We continued humming and singing, getting lost in the beauty of each unforgettable moment. I looked around at the shining faces of each person sitting around the campfire. Not a frown, not a tear, not a worry could be seen. All faces were filled with happiness and contentment as each pair of gleaming eyes stared deep into the radiating fire.

The thunder grew closer and the once murmur in the distance now became a rumble just over the hill. The sparks that once gracefully danced up through the trees now became scattered like fireworks through the air. The peaceful music played on and we all now gazed at each other, observing the expressions on each jovial and apprehensive face. We all knew the storm was not far away, yet none of us cared to resort to our tents and call it a night.

We all now stood around the fire. Most of us were hand in hand and each of us was occasionally dashing out of the path of an escaping spark. The rumbling of thunder was now overhead and the booming began to shake the earth beneath our feet. We all laughed at our friend’s determination to go on with his guitar playing as sparks rushed toward him and the heat became nearly unbearable to the rest of us. We welcomed the rain and a more suitable song for the moment now took over. The storm overhead seemed merely a background thumping to the song that we so joyously sang from our hearts. The words to the song “Rain on Me” ran through the air and into my mind, over and over again in perfect undying harmony. I closed my eyes and took in each incredible second.

Before long the rain had doused our fire and our main source of warmth faded away. We all waited patiently under the blue tarp, which had been skillfully strung from tree to tree, sharing stories, laughing together, and making everlasting memories. Some of us huddled together, trying to generate some heat. Others raided the coolers where we kept a supply of fresh water, cookies, and no-bakes. Each of our hearts was filled with hope that the storm would swiftly pass.

To our dismay, the storm only grew stronger and the winds just gusted harder and stronger. Our bodies began to tremble from the coldness that had set in and the dampness that overcame the entire atmosphere. We all retreated to our tents out of fear that one more gust of wind would send our tents cascading down the hill or through the air.

Hours passed and the storm would not subside. It continued on through the night, but our loving and hopeful spirits prevailed. All night long we sang, told jokes, laughed, chanted, and talked back and forth from tent to tent. Nobody there that night got a wink of sleep, but we all learned so much about each other that insomnia didn’t mean a thing.

Dawn had arrived and birds began to chirp. One by one, another body clumsily stumbled out of one of the tents. Each of us dragged our damp trembling bodies over to the remains of our fireplace. Outside of our tents nothing looked the same. The only thing that was keeping our tent from crashing down the hill into the lake was a tree stump that it was now resting against. Our fire ring was no longer a perfect circle of carefully laid out rocks. It was a mess of mud, sticks, and leaves that had gathered during the night. The tarp that once sheltered us now sagged just over our heads, hanging only by two pieces of twine. Each of us attempted to get a fire started, but our wood supply had been drenched overnight and our attempts seemed futile. Finally after an hour of ineffective attempts a fire began to glow.

As we all gathered around the remains of our fire ring, I looked once more at the faces of each of my friends. Still not one trembling and exhausted body showed a single sign of discontentment. The atmosphere was still so serene. Not a frown, not a tear, not a worry could be seen. Everyone smiled at each other as we crowded around the fire. It was then that I noticed I was not the only person there the night before taking note of everyone else’s mood. I was not the only person who smiled at everyone else's satisfaction. We ALL contented ourselves in each other’s happiness and we continued to do so throughout the afternoon without worry and without hesitation. That night helped me to realize these people were more than just my friends and my fellow campers. They were my soul mates.

I kept one thing a secret from everyone else that evening as we said our goodbyes. Nobody else seemed to have a worry in him or her so I kept on smiling, but inside I was so scared. I was afraid that I would never experience anything so awesome again. I thought that this was too incredible of an experience to come across only one time in my entire life. I was so worried that I would never feel so at peace with the world and myself again. More than anything I was scared that no one else felt the same.

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