The Storm - Florida Keys' Watercolor Kapers

Florida Keys’ Watercolor Kapers by Bob Kranich

The Storm, (Excerpt 51)

This is a new short story titled, The Storm. It is artistic literature about a dramatic Keys storm that suddenly arrives and then subsides.

The Storm

The semi-tropical island sat like a precious jewel at the end of a long string of pearls. It floated between two great bodies of water, the sparkling Gulf of Mexico on the north and the mighty Atlantic on its south.

In the natural harbor on the west and open side of this Island of the Sun, a female dolphin and its two young swim, dive, and frolic in the early morning mist. It was still and dark, only a hint of light in the east.

Suddenly the female let out a high-pitched sound. Her two offspring immediately gave her their undivided attention. She turned and headed out towards the Atlantic. The siblings followed after their parent. All three were moving fast, diving and then rolling up to the top to breathe.

As this family disappeared towards the dark ocean, suddenly the sun on the far horizon burst forth in a shaft of light. It was bright yellow at first. Then it moved up and into a very low and ominous dark hanging mass. This collection of clouds suddenly burned with a brilliant orange-red.

At this particular moment, sea gulls, sandpipers, terns, and pelicans could be seen flying from the Atlantic side over this jewel to the far side of the island. They then landed on the far beach amongst the pine, the exquisite coconut palms, and the tall stately palmetto trees.

The barometer was dropping, the humidity was building, and the air pressure was changing. On the Atlantic beach the breakers were beginning to build and pound the surf and shore. Sand crabs were leaving their holes as the water slowly gained ground and headed up the beach towards the dunes. Many of these sand crabs were moving inland and making as best they could for the high ground on the dunes or for that matter, the Gulf waters on the lea side of the island.

On one of the quiet city streets at ground level, a busy ant colony was shifting its stores, eggs, and members to a higher location. They were moving in a straight line from a crack in the sidewalk over to a brick wall. One could see this line of march was straight up along the top of the wall and into a brick structure attached to it.

A cat, and right behind it, a city street dog, came running by. Both animals scattered the ant’s organized marching line. These two creatures, alerted by a change in the air pressure knew a drastic weather change was coming on. They were looking for a safe and secure hideaway. Some say animals can feel the vibration and smell the ozone from far away lightning.

It became very still. Then it started, slightly at first, small short puffs of a breeze. Then stronger bursts, turning into a strong wind. Plap!...Plap!.. Plap! Plap! Plap! Raindrops were hitting the wall, the pavement and the sandy dry dust. At first the large drops slamming into the powdery earth made what appeared to be small smoke pockets. Shortly the hard downpour saturated everything. The wind was now blowing violently, the rain tearing into the earth in torrential waves.

The coconut palms were waving frantically to and fro. Then one by one the dried frons were torn from their hold on the tree’s trunk and sent reeling into the wind. The streets were fast filling with puddles, which were linking with each other. As the water over powered the drainage it rose, forming small lakes.

Unexpectantly there was a Clang!... Clang!... Clang! Clang! Clang! as perfect round balls of ice fell straight down from the sky. It seemed the wind halted momentarily just for this performance. The hail came as a sampling at first, but then a barrage of ice balls plummeted everything. Just as fast as it started...it stopped. The last few, not to be left out, dropped one by one. This was followed by increased gusts of wind bearing ferocious pelting rain.

Inland a thirty-foot palmetto tree bent and swayed as all of its green frons hanging on precariously were bent and pushed to its far side. It was losing its dried frons just like the coconut palms.

Loud cracks of thunder were followed by electric flashes zigzagging across the sky. One of these actually touched down finding a grounding path through a stately oak. This left a burnt scar on the base of the tree and a scent of scorched wood lingering in the air.

Almost as quick and surprising as it started, the wind ceased, and the rain turned to a slow drizzle. Then both gave up. The sun, now high in the sky found an opening in the clouds, and sent its golden rays to illuminate the entire scene.

Somewhere in a distant pine, a seemingly content and cheerful mockingbird breaks the silence in joyful song to celebrate and welcome the new day.

From the Author:

My second full-length book , Florida Keys’ Watercolor Kapers is composed of 336 pages. There are 12 stories running from 6 pages to as many as 72 pages. It is fully illustrated with 88 watercolors and sketches. The watercolors I made roaming around Key West after I finished my 750 mile hike from Georgia to Key West. (See book or Don Browne’s SouthWest Florida Online News records, A Walk Across Florida.) As you read these stories you will experience Key West, the Keys, and the Caribbean. These stories span the time of the early 1800’s to 1969. bkranich.wixsite.com/bobkranich