The Lull of a Windless Day

The sun climbed high into the sky, filling the air with light and heat. In the fields, boys wiped sweat from their brows and glared angrily at the sun. Women hid on their porches with their crying babes, trying to find a little relief in the sparse shade. Plants withered in the blazing heat as mud dried into cracking cakes of dirt. Without the cooling rush of wind, nothing seemed to enjoy the heat of the sun.

White pillowy clouds hung just above the horizon. They stretched and strained to rise high enough to nestle the sun in their comforting embrace. But with no wind to lift them up, they effort was in vain. The sun reached out its rays hopefully, but to no avail.

Steely gray vapors filled with rain gathered along the coast and drops began to fall gently onto the sand. Pitter patter pitter pat, the rhythm continued uninterestingly. The rain fell over and over in the same spot in the same lonely paths. No excitement swirled the rain around and soon it gave up, retreating into the clouds. Without the wind to carry the rain in different directions, it had nowhere to go.

The ocean spread dark and still into the distance. It pushed up against the sky, but without the force of the wind, the ocean could only make small waves. A boat sat upon its surface unable to move. The men on its deck shouted uselessly at the sails to fill with wind. But there was no wind and no waves to carry the boat to its destination.

Storm clouds filled the horizon. Lightening flashed and thunder rolled. Tiny pieces of hail fell gently onto the plains. But no wind came. The storm lost interest and the hail slowed to a stop. In the field a cow mooed in triumph.

That night, in the heart of the forest, fire flickered sadly, confined within a glass lantern. The trees taunted the fire, begging to be decorated in blazing glory, but alone the flame could not get free. Accidentally knocking the lantern over, a man let fire loose. But the flames could not jump fast enough to escape the man as he stomped out the sparks. Without wind, fire just could not run free.

Deep in the dark recesses of a cave, wind stirred softly and with a deep growling yawn rushed back out into the open. After a full day of napping, wind eagerly soared back up, high into the sky and came to rest on the edge of the cliff. The sun peaked shyly out from behind the clouds just above the horizon. People in the town below were just coming out of their houses to begin their daily chores. The ocean stretched forever into the distance, waving a gentle greeting to wind. On the other side of the mountains, far into the distance, storm rumbled its own morning salutation. Nested in the trees of the forest, inside a forgotten ring of stones, the remnants of fire lay in wait, biding its time.

This day brought new opportunity. There was so much to do, and better, so many reasons to do it.

Howling gleefully, wind leaped from the cliff and soared off to play.

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What adventures await on windy days

creating mischief wherever it plays

with sun or storm or rain and sea

or letting fiery friends run free

Yet spreading relief to those who toil

on stormy seas and baking soil

Wind is a friend and wind is a foe

trailing chaos and comfort with its flow

So fly now wind; fly fast and free

whistle with joy and howl with glee

There's so much to do and much to get done

and so many, many reasons to go have some fun

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I had a lot of fun exploring the personality of wind and its friends. I hope you have as much fun reading about their exploits. This series was one of my most favorite things to write. Below are links to all of the windy tales.