Riding a car when nature's wrath is taking its toll can be ominous - one may fall into debilitating injuries or lose one's life even. But it is an amazing scene to behold when a tornado hits a town. One can fully realise how powerless one is to nature's fury. One can do nothing, nothing at all.
Our car was on an interstate highway in Albertville, Minnesota when nature hid us under a grey lid. It was a shade I never beheld before. One could sense the looming tornado's rage from it. A straight white line ran across the sky - it seemed the heaven was waiting to crack open on us. We took the next available exit and parked the car in the compounds of a convenience store that also offered self-service gasoline. It felt safe there, although the sky by then had put on a deeper hue of grey. The sunny afternoon transformed into a menacing moonless night.
The downpour began in less than a minute. Stuck inside a car, I looked outside the window. The torrential rain made my surroundings obscure and I could only see rain water hitting the vehicle's windshield and windows. Even the street ahead was not visible to my eyes; it appeared as though Mother Nature was on a mission to wash away the world. The release of water from the heavens above appeared unstoppable.
We sat inside the car quietly. We switched on the radio and a weather forecaster said aloud, “Wind is blowing in a straight line at 70 miles per hour.” Fear gripped us, yet we tried to converse as if this tornado would pass without hurting us. After 45 long minutes, the tornado was finally done with its exhibition of rage in Albertville. Quickly, it began to head east to display a new round of its furious dance. But I was relieved that it left us.
Looking outside, I beheld the most beautiful sight - a pair of rainbows graced the heaven above. I remember reading somewhere, “Rainbows apologise for angry skies.” At that very point in time, that saying seemed so true, so apt. The grey was gone, what replaced it was a soft yellow light that wrapped the whole city in an embrace. An elderly woman came outside the convenience store with a young girl. The lady pointed her finger to the sky, where the two bows of colours were still glowing in pride. It is not often that a pair of rainbows adorn the evening sky.
The car sped towards home and I stared in awe at the endless sky above. Clouds, resembling shreds of snow-white cotton, hung from the blue heavens. The setting sun radiated a strong orange light. Never before had I noticed a post-tornado sun, never did I know that a disappearing sun emits such powerful beams. It looked as if the horizon held a colossal torch toward the sky. Its shafts of light pierced white clouds and illuminated the western skyline.
Light, fluffy clouds came down closer to the earth. At first, I mistook them for smoke. The clouds were floating in rapid speed. They were in a rush, for they knew they had little time before turning into a drizzle and soaking everything and everyone below them.
The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain. ~ Henry Wadsworth LongfellowPhoto: Google Images
By Wara Karim
The Daily Star
October 19, 2010
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