Silence of a Windless Day

The sun was high to pour heat and brightness into the air. Boys wiped the sweat from their forehead and glared angrily at the sun on the field. Ladies sat gathered on their porches with wailing newborn babies, trying to get some relief in the shadeless yard. The mud had dried into cracking cakes of dirt, and plants withered under the blazing heat; nothing seemed to enjoy the heat of the sun without the cooling blast of air.

White, puffy clouds hung low in the sky. They labored to rise high enough to reach up and grasp the sun, to hold it comfortably, reaching and stretching. Without wind to back up their efforts, it was no good. The crossed sunbeams expanded in an unsuccessful attempt at something.

Raindrops began to fall lightly over the beach as steely gray vapors full of rain gathered off the coast. The cadence kept on monotonously, pitter patter pitter pat. Rain always fell on the same desolate paths in the same location. No energy compelled the rain to twirl and it slowed down and disappeared back into the clouds. There was no place the rain could go if there was no air to carry it in various ways.

Far across the water, the lake lay dark and smooth. It lapped against the sky, but without the force of wind it could only raise tiny ripples along its surface. Upon the water, a boat rested motionless. The seamen on deck weakly yelled for the wind to inflate the sails. Neither waves nor wind were available to push the boat toward its next port.

The horizon was blanketed with storm clouds. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed. Small hailstones settled gently onto the grasses. But there came no wind. The hail gradually slowed to a stop as the storm apparently became bored. A cow triumphantly mooed in the field.

That night, under the confinement of a glass lantern, fire unpleasantly flickered in the middle of the woods. The trees would tease the fire and beg it to deck them with flaming magnificence, but of its own accord, the flame could not leave. A person accidentally knocked over the lamp, and the oil spilled on the ground caught fire. But while he was stamping out the sparks, the flames could not leap high enough and fast enough to get out of the reach of the person. In the absence of wind, fire could not spread easily.

It surged silently along the muggy bottom of some cave and then belched back out into the open with a giant booming yawn. The wind happily swooped upwards once more high into the sky, and on to the edge of the cliff to rest after a long day of reclining. A bit above the horizon, the sun peered shyly out from behind the clouds. Down in the village below, people were only just coming out of their houses to start their day's work. Shaking a gentle greeting to the wind, the water moved on far down into the distance. Distant, storm bellowed his morning salute across the other side of the mountains. Glimmerings of fire remained in a neglected ring of stones, tucked away amongst the trees of the forest.

A new chance stood this day. So much was to be done, and even more reasons to do it.

Wind sprang from the cliff and bounded forth to play, roaring in delight.

****

What adventures on windy days?

flyers

causing mayhem wherever it goes

with sea or rain or storm or sun

or freeing brilliant friends aloft

But giving succor to the ones that labor

on arid land and crashing surf

The wind is friend and foe.

to follow storm and solace in its circle

Fly now, wind, fly fast and free.

Howl in your delight and whistle with glee

Much is to be done.

With many an excuse to go out and play ****

It has been an absolute delight to write about the characters of wind and its companions. I really hope that reading their adventures is as fun to you. Actually, this was one of my favourite series to write. Links to all the windy tales are given here.