Coming storm

Once, not that long ago, there was a storm. A pretty big one, too. It was far off in the distance, and my sisters and I ran out to see it.

Lightning, then thunder. My sister counted. "Thirteen miles away," she said. We continued to watch the grey clouds, alert for lightning. It was beautiful, not the typical white but mid purple and pale orange and occasionally yellowish blue.

The clouds were turning darker. "Twelve miles."

Darker. "Ten miles."

"It's still far away," my other sister said. "We can stay out a little longer."

An orange flash from our right. "We're being surrounded," I said, both afraid and awestruck.

My other sister (the careful one) moaned. "We should go inside soon," she said. "But it's still so cool, so let's stay a little longer. Ten miles away."

Another from the right. "Ten miles."

Then a purple one from the left. "Eight miles," one sister cried. "We're being surrounded. It will come over our heads! We should go inside soon!"

"It's not on us yet," my other sister said. We stayed.

Another flash. "Seven miles."

"Five."

"Three. We should go inside now!"

"Not yet,"

"It's almost on is! It'll start raining soon!"

"But it's so cool!!"

She only stayed because i was out, watching my sister, and she was out, watching us both. Even though I am the oldest. Her loyalty is stronger than her fear.

The sky was dark, lightning coming, lighting up the sky. One sister stood with a neighbor boy (who was six at the time) and watched the lighting come.

Finally, she agreed to come in, when the storm was upon us. We turned and walked the direction of our home. There was no rain.

The sound of pouring behind us, growing ever louder, and suddenly there was rain. Pouring, starting from a simple drizzle, becoming a down rush in a second. We ran. Thunder still crackled, no seconds after the lightning this time.

We ran about, preparing for rain of the sudden storm. Soaking through, I felt like a peasant in a storm, middle ages, as I scooped leaves from a drain with a rake, sometimes bare hands. I ran the grill into the overhang and ran through a giant puddle.

I'd repeat the experience, given the chance.