The Storm of
Fears
By Matthew Leclerc
Weather. It’s a phenomenon that has been around since the beginning of time. Yet humans have only begun to fully understand it in the last few decades. Weather is constant; we check the weather to plan our day. Will we wear jackets if it’s cold? Will we wear t-shirts if it’s warm? Weather is the cool humid mornings, the droplets of dew on the grass, and the blustery wind that howls through the cold winter nights. Weather can also be violent. Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and the most notorious of them all, tornadoes. Not every tornado’s a monster. Some are as thin as rope dancing through the gloomy sky. Then there’re the violent ones, the finger of god as they’re known, creating death and destruction to all who lay foot in its path. The tornado – the most lethal weapon mother nature has to offer.
July 9th, 2011. School’s out, the feeling of sleeping in seems as if it’s a treat. It’s just about a quarter after eight. Just waking up, I could feel the sun beam through my curtains seeming as if it were trying to get my attention. The fan’s cool air kissed at my skin. The sound of birds filled up the muggy air while the heat bugs screamed as if they were warning me what was to come. Today would bring an event of weather that will leave a scar in my mind.
My sister and I were home alone. Both mom and dad were at work. Having a twin sister had its perks, no need for an alarm clock. As I pull my body off of my bed, my skin sticks to the bed sheets. As I got up, my skin peeled off the sheets which felt just like a band aid left on for too long. I ran downstairs and got on my laptop to check out the weather. It was already in the high 70s at eight o’clock. The storm prediction center issued severe thunder storm watch’s. Then I saw a graphic I never saw before, a Tornado Watch.
My heart began to pump; it was a feeling I could never forget. I lost all feelings in my hands, I could feel my chest cave in on me. It wasn’t the thought of being scared, it was the thought of being able to glance on the most devastating yet spectacle gift offered from mother nature. “Hannah, we’re under a tornado watch” I said. My sister afraid of thunderstorms because of how loud the thunder was. Telling her about the tornado watch was a big mistake. She began to panic thinking we had to pack things and get the animals into the basement. I had to explain to her that a tornado warning is what you would have to worry about, not a tornado watch.
I began to plan for the possible events today. Charging my video camera, checking out the current warnings and watches, listening to the weather radio, looking at lightning maps, I felt like a storm chaser. Flashbacks begin to race through my head. Running to my father during thunder storms to have him calm me down and tell me there’s nothing to be afraid of. My mother would add on saying thunder was just our relatives who’ve passed away bowling. I believed them. I began to lose the fear of thunder. I asked my parents about tornadoes. Did they ever happen in Maine? Dad would say “No, they only exist in the plains. There’s nothing to worry about.” And my mother told me that in her entire life, there’s only been one tornado in Maine that she could remember. That would all change.
“Dad! You wouldn’t believe what could happen today,” I said over the phone. “What?” he replied. “We’re under a severe thunderstorm watch and a Tornado watch!” I said. He chuckled thinking I must’ve been mistaken. My father knew about this whole weather event but he tries to switch the conversation to get it off my mind to keep me from being scared. It was about noonish when my phone received a text about Severe Thunderstorms in my county. I ran outside to investigate and to my surprise,
outside to investigate and to my surprise, the skies were clear and sunny. It made no sense – how could there be a thunderstorm without any clouds? It was like how could you eat cereal without any milk? It just didn’t add up.