Patience

A Story by Lily

It’s just a short thing I wrote.

The breeze tickles the sides of my face and I breathe in the cool fresh air. I can taste the rain that left only minutes ago, following the wind to torture innocent sailors along the coast. A sudden flash of lightning lights up the shadowed landscape that looms around me. I don’t shudder. I don’t flinch. Instead I step forward. Another bright light shines into my eyes and I cover them and look away. But it isn’t the lightning. A small smile lines my face as I stare up the old tower, it’s rusty sides, peeling at the bottom where large puddles of cruel water lay. I don’t remember the last time I smiled. I understand now why I didn’t. It fades from my face. I run up the many steps leading to the top, never stopping, never draining. I am filled with endless enthusiasm and energy. The spray of the rain smacks me in the face as I reach the top. It and the writhing wind nearly knocks me backwards but I refuse. I trail my fingers over the handrail, feeling all it’s bumps and scratches. It’s… imperfections. The storm slowly advances towards the sea and my heart races. My only chance. I make a tapping noise as I impatiently drum the handrail with my nails. My hair whips around my face and I spit it out of my mouth angrily. Then I see it. The small flash as the sampling of lightning starts to grow. The world has faded and disappeared around me. The only things left are me and the lightning. It’s moving slowly, giving me time, like it wants me to do this. I laugh cruelly at the irony of it all. My eyes close and I lose my footing, but I’m still standing. The feeling of the cold handrail melts away and I am left with blackness. Slowly my hands rise in a curled soft position and point towards the lightning. The passion courses through my veins like never before. I want this so badly. I need this. A thin string brushes my fingertips and I grab onto it and pull. It uses every ounce of my strength to pull it. But I stick with my slow but steady strategy. In a matter of time I can feel the light. I can feel the energy. I can feel my body shaking with excitement and dread. A mix of emotions that are both exhilarating and terrifying. My eyes quickly flutter open and I grasp the lightning before it escapes. It struggles in my grip. Pathetic. My mouth opens. It’s dry and thirsty, my tounge feels like cardboard. It longs for the taste. As does every other part of my body. The light flows into my mouth and my eyes roll back into my skull. It’s beautiful. I feel the youth returning to my face, then to my torso and my legs. It feels like I’ve been rebirthed, back into myself, but better than before. When the lightning drifts from my grip, I stay in that position. Mouth slightly open towards the sky, fingers clasped around air and my eyes rolled back in my skull. I wait for the feeling. The feeling I’ve been waiting for so long. Speak of the devil and it shall come, some say. It’s true. My breath is sucked out of my lungs and my veins burn with pain. I try to scream but I rise into the air. The landscape has returned around me. My body throbs with power and I laugh. “I was never one for patience, but look what it brought me.”