One Final Service

The old barn sat atop a small hill in a grove of shade trees. It had no problems with where it sat. In fact, it quite enjoyed its view. Every morning, the sun would lift its bright head over the distant horizon and light up the vast and open prairie that spread out at the base of the barn's hill. The most exciting part of the barn's view, however, was the small farmhouse that he had been built alongside. The family that lived there hadn't been farmers for a long time but he didn't mind. Barns could be used for so much more than storing equipment! It's true: sometimes, the family would come up the hill to play in the barn. Some of them would hide while one stayed behind to try to find where the rest had hidden. It was a curious game but it made the family laugh. That laughter was the sweetest sound in all the world. The songbirds that filled the trees in the barn's small grove could never compare to the tinkling laughter of the family's young children. Their smiles were almost bright enough to outshine the sun itself.

The barn didn't get used for many "barn" things anymore these days. In the past, other families had put large vehicles in him. They never came and played in the barn. Once, there had been large, four legged families that lived in the barn. They smelled terrible! The barn was quite content to stay with this current family forever. There had been one time where the family had set up a tent inside the barn and pretended to camp! The barn thought it was a little silly to set up a tent inside a structure that was meant to shelter but he didn't mind too much.

Today, the sun was covered up by big, dark storm clouds. Sometimes the family would have to run and hide in the barn during bad storms. He wasn't sure why they didn't stay in the house. Perhaps the house had no basement. He had never asked the house anything. The old barn wasn't quite sure how. Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance. Even though the sun had just come out, the clouds began to smother its light until you almost couldn't see anymore.

A gust of wind slammed itself against the barn in a pitiful attempt to knock him down. Silly wind, it would take a lot more than that to knock down this barn! A light turned on at the back of the house. The family opened the backdoor of the house and began to run up the hill towards the barn and his protective stand of trees. As they charged towards the barn's safety, rain began to fall from the sky in an attempt to stop the family. Storms were always out to hurt the family and for that the barn hated them. The ground, and for a moment even the barn's own timbers began to shake as a bolt of lightning smashed into the ground near the house. The barn heard a scream and a whimper as one of the family began to cry. The old barn doors flung open as the leader of the family ushered the rest inside. The leader slammed the doors shut against the wind and locked them with the large beam of wood set aside for that very purpose. No storm had ever beaten the barn before. This one wouldn't get them either.

A high pitched whine filled the air across the whole open prairie. A warning sign of a very dangerous storm. The barn prepared for a true fight. Immediately the wind began to slam itself into the barn's walls repeatedly. It wanted to get in; to hurt the family. The barn would not let it in. It flexed the beams of wood that formed its walls and they began to creak and groan. The barn pushed back against the wind with all his might. Rain pelted his roof accompanied by large, frozen chunks of hail. They fell at dizzying speeds and shattered themselves against the old barn's shingles in a vicious attack. This was a fierce battle. But the barn had seen fiercer. The barn's walls shook and rattled as the wind whipped about his frame. That was when he saw it. Out in the prairie, beyond the house, rose a solitary column of black clouds and dust. A Tornado.

The barn though he could feel it pulling on him already. He had faced one of these terrible demons only once before. But that had been in his youth when he was first built. Even then he had needed extensive repairs from the family and he still bore some of the old wounds. He set his doors and prepared for the worst. This storm would not have his family. He could hear the young ones whimpering below him. They were so scared. Even the leader had a nervous expression as he huddled close to the rest of his family. They were all scared. No. The storm could not have them. Lightning broke the sky in a wide and crooked grin and thunderous laughter echoed out across the plains. This storm was hungry and all that stood in its way was one measly barn.

The tornado slammed into the barn with the strongest winds he had ever felt. The old barn could actually feel himself leaning to one side slightly as the wicked winds did everything they could to tear the barn from the hill. The barn planted himself firmly in the ground, wooden beams creaking as he pushed against the wind. Then, the wind came from another direction. And then another direction. And then another. This tornado was pulling out all the stops. The youngest family member began to wail as one of the barn's beams snapped in half. Another bolt of lightning shattered the darkness and the storm let loose a raucous bout of thunder. It tried so hard to pull the barn free. But the barn would not move. The barn had a strong foundation; a grand gift from the family who had built him. More beams began to snap and crack beneath the pressure of the wind.

No!

The wind began to settle. Was that it? No, there had to be something else. Then he saw it. The crafty vortex had spun around the barn and was now trying to hurl the trees. It pulled at their ancient roots with all its might. A mighty burst of thunder accompanied a sickening series of cracking sounds as one of the largest trees was ruthlessly torn from the ground and hurled dozens of feet into the air. The dark tornado held the tree in the air above the old barn for a moment. And then, the tree began to fall. This was it. If the barn didn't catch the tree, it would fall right through its roof and crush the family. He couldn't let that happen. They had taken care of him so much over the years. They had repaired broken doors, painted worn siding, and even patched the roof once or twice. If this storm would be his last, he would spend all his remaining strength to save this family. He braced every single straining beam for the coming impact. The moments stretched on for what seemed like hours as the tree rocketed downward towards the barn.

Immense pain shot through the old barn's roof. The ancient tree slammed into the wood, shattering shingles and sending them flying down to the ground. The wicked tornado tried with all its might to shove the tree down through the barn to destroy the family. The barn pushed back as hard as he could. His rafters held tightly to the tree and did everything they could to stop its descent. Lightning pelted the prairie around the old barn and his hill as the storm let loose an enrage and thunderous scream. The tornado sent its winds careening into the newly formed whole in the old barn's roof but it was too late. The barn had done it. He had caught the tree! Slowly, the winds began to fade. The tree had been the mighty storms final attempt to destroy the barn's beloved family. In its rage, the storm had blown itself out until the once fierce tornado was nothing but a blustering breeze. The storm's dark clouds moved on past the barn and on toward the open and empty prairie where there were no families for it to take. As the winds died down and the rain subsided, the old barn began to strain under the weight of the broken and twisted tree he now held aloft. He had lost so many beams in the storm that he could barely hold it. He began to groan and creak, yelling for the family to leave. This final storm had taken all of his remaining strength but the family was safe.

The old barn's doors opened wide as the family entered a sunlit field on the side of the barn's hill. They took several steps back to observe the damages that had been done. It was time to go. The tree was so heavy and he was so tired. A board snapped somewhere deep within the old barn. He let loose one final, satisfied groan as more and more planks of ancient wood followed. There, after completing one final service for his family, the old barn let himself rest, collapsing in a heap of broken boards and shattered wood. He let out one final, satisfied sigh as the broken barn bid farewell to his final family.