Happily exploring, he stumbled onto a new pasture. The horizon blazed orange as the sun sank, its light spilling across the fields. He stood still, drinking it in. A breeze brushed against him—carrying the fragrance of wildflowers. Mist lingered in the air, and birds scattered across the sky. It was perfect—so perfect he burst into giggles, spinning with arms wide, leaping like a boy set free.
The breeze quickened. His giggles rose with it. The air whipped around his body, stronger, sharper—yet intoxicating. He tilted his head back, smiling at the heavens, whispering, Thank you.
Then, everything changed.
The wind slammed into him, tearing at his clothes, stinging his skin. Branches snapped in the distance. The sky darkened, as if the sun had eclipsed. His joy wavered, replaced by awe, then dread. The ground trembled beneath his feet.
And then the roar came.
The storm ripped through the fields like an animal unchained. He staggered, gasping, as the wind yanked him upward. His body spun, weightless, thrown like a ragdoll through walls of water and force. Rain struck like bullets. Gravity pulled one way, the storm another. He screamed—but the sound was swallowed whole.
Confusion blurred into terror. What is happening? What did I do? His thoughts fractured with the storm’s fury. Yet somewhere deep, a whisper stirred: Surrender.
He forced his eyes shut. Arms stretched wide, chest heaving, he gave in. “I surrender,” he whispered into the chaos.
Thunderous lightning split the sky. For a blinding instant, everything was visible—trees bending, earth splitting, the world flooded with a thousand suns. And then, silence. He opened his eyes. The storm was gone. The air was still. No debris, no destruction. Had it all been a dream? He looked around for proof. Wet earth glistening, fresh sprouts pushing up through the soil. Birds perched on branches, shaking water from their feathers. His body echoed—drenched, trembling, alive with goosebumps. He smiled faintly. He knew.
The storm—the storm within—had stripped him bare, tearing away everything he thought he was, until only the invisible truth remained. And in that beautiful, intoxicating, violent—yet strangely caring—storm… he discovered someone he had never met before: a new himself!
