The Lion's Den

The Gathering Storm
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Chapter 12. The Gathering Storm
(excerpt)


  It was shortly before 8:00 p.m. when Pop settled in for the night. The sounds of him moving around and the television playing ceased, and the light that peeked out from under the door went out. It was noticeably early for him, though not entirely unusual. His sleeping patterns were sometimes dictated by his mood or by how good or bad he was feeling. I suspected he wanted to shut our little dustup out for the night, rather than chew on it. It seemed my mother was still a sensitive subject for him.

  I brewed a half pot of coffee and poured myself a cup, which I took with me out onto the front porch. It wasn't quite dark, but it was getting there. In fact, it was getting dark quicker than usual because a heavy overcast was rolling in. Off in the distance, I heard the unmistakable sounds of an approaching thunderstorm. While such storms came throughout the year, they were more frequent during the summer heat, which wasn't that far off. As a child, I had an unusual fascination with thunderstorms. I would sit on the same porch and watch them come in with excitement and anticipation. My sister had just the opposite reaction, usually hiding under the bed waiting for the siege to end.

  The gathering storm started as it always did. What little sky was still visible disappeared behind a gray curtain of rain clouds with an occasional flash and the thunder that inevitably followed. The wind kicked up significantly, bringing the temperature down at least ten degrees in a matter of minutes. Many of the green leaves seemed to change color as the wind twisted them about, revealing their pale underside. Then came the first heavy drops of rain falling through the trees and hitting the roof. Finally, the deluge arrived, accompanied by thunder and lightning that no longer kept a respectful distance.

  As thunder roared overhead, I heard something else: a man shouting. Realizing it was my father, I jumped to my feet, entered the house, and ran down the hallway to the master bedroom. Before I even got to the door, I could hear Pop shouting, "Pull it back! Pull it back!" I opened the door on an almost fully dark room just as a flash of lightning lit it up, followed almost immediately by a huge clap of thunder. Turning on the light, I saw Pop cowering on the bed, staring at the window. He turned, looked at me, and yelled, "The mortars are falling too close! They'll kill us all if Charlie doesn't do it first!" Alarmed, I rushed to my father's side and dropped onto the bed next to him. He grabbed me by the arm, shouting, "Get down, soldier!"

Text Copyright, G. S. Treakle, 2022