The Road Home by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 44

With their groceries stored, the group again gathered in the front room, sitting quietly as the wrath of nature screamed around them. But instead of being instilled with fear, the group simply listened in awe at the mystery of something that might have, in days passed, toppled monuments and destroyed whole kingdoms. The universe is, without doubt, a grand place capable of leading one to the realization of one’s insignificance simply by experiencing its tumultuous nature.

Time seemed to pass quickly as the group sat in the diminishing light of evening. The roaring of the storm became something of a lullaby as the former students began to drift off. What brought them to wakefulness was an odd clap of thunder, not completely unheard of during intense winter storms.

“Holy shit,” Eli said.

He had returned with clean clothes and a calm demeanor, having finally seen the humor in his short bout with incontinence.

“What was that?”

Aurora, who was just as surprised as the rest, answered Eli’s curious yet crudely stated question.

“It’s called thunder-snow. It’s not very common, but it is kind of cool. And sometimes there’s even lightning.”

No sooner than her words ended, the room filled with a bright pink light, followed by another crash of thunder.

“Holy fuck,” Eli said. “That’s it, I’m going to bed.”

Making his way upstairs, he was stopped by Aurora, who decided to take a cheap shot at him. “Hey, Eli,” she said. “It’s just a storm, so don’t go pissing your pants again.”

Slightly aggravated, he turned to face her and, raising a hand, extended his middle finger as he mouthed only two words.

“Fuck you.”

Aurora let out a giggle as Maya gently nudged her.

“What?” Aurora asked.

“Come on, now,” she said. “He just pissed his pants. Just let it go.”

In resolving the matter, Maya spoke through clenched teeth, trying not to laugh. Jackson wasn’t faring much better, as Aurora’s remark brought on a short burst of giggling. With the necessity of sleep setting in, Maya prompted Jackson and Aurora to turn in. It was no surprise to her that Aurora was the easiest to convince with the expectation that they would, again, be sharing the same bed, tumbling between the sheets in silent lust.

As the night wore on, the storm continued, its rage preventing the group from what would have otherwise been a deep sleep. Occasionally, a brilliant flash of lightning coupled with a potent clap of thunder startled them awake. Although they would complain about it the next morning, the impenetrable fear of death by storm kept each of them awake as sentinels, guarding themselves against what could sometimes be a fatal event. But morning was soon to arrive, and with it a lull in the angry weather typical of the Rockies.