The Storms of Fear

The one thing Sera Sykora feared the most was the wind. When the wind would blow, Sera’s stomach filled with knots, the kind of knots that tugged and pulled, the kind of knots that couldn't be undone. The child would try to be brave, but his heart pulsated at a pace that shook him, sickened him, that made his eyes well up with tears. During a storm, it wasn't the rumbles of thunder or the flashes of lightning that put a shock in Sera’s heart. It was the whipping winds that incessantly, without rule, ripped through Sera’s soul. He was born afraid, like a sickness within him, but he never used to fear the wind; he never used to fear the world as if it were ready to sweep him up and swallow him.

Heather Anathea, a woman who some adored and who some ignored, lived on the outskirts of the village in a very tall house, where very few villagers dared approach.

“Hullo, there, Miss Heather,” some would say, tipping their hats to her. Some even knelt before her, as if she were queen. Others, however, would often flash a sneer whenever she walked by, muttering as she passed:

“There goes that witch�"that blight to our village. She’s as good as those forsaken storms around us!” one woman said. The villagers, as it had come to be, feared the words that she spoke, words rooted deep in wisdom, for she was a complicated figure in a simple world.

In that very same village of Sun Veil, there dwelt a people burdened by fear but blessed (and cursed) by nature. Their dogs yawned and stretched as they slept in the light of the afternoon sun, and the roosters and chickens clucked happily along, and the birds of the sky chirped their songs in secret rhythm. Outside of the village, in the Outer World, creatures of all kinds roamed the fields and pastures, the rays of the sun stretching wide across the land.

            Yet, in the far off distance, the rocky giant, Colossus, loomed�"titanic and terrible�"and in that dense forest of Shroud the tangle of trees choked the light. Frightened by these accursed creations, the villagers ignored the mountain and forest as best they could, seldom stepping outside their village, but they didn't mind because Sun Veil thrived with beauty and tranquility, for it was adorned with rows of flowers and a variety of trees that lined the stone pathways, jetting fountains, and, of course, the Great Tower. This tower, known also to the villagers as the Tower of Soltera, stood at the very center of the village�"a beacon of light, of mystery, and to many a beacon of truth�"standing tall, the zephyr winds spinning its great blades. Beneath its unique base flowed a stream of water, pure and clear enough that the eye could easily see the mud, crust, and pebbles of the earth beneath it. So stood the icon of the village that the villagers adored and praised, for its presence awed and mystified them.

            One day while walking through Sun Veil with his mother, Sera Sykora saw Heather Anathea for the first time, and that one time burned her essence into Sera's mind. Heather’s immortal youth shined; her light auburn hair swayed like the limbs of full-bloom trees in a summer’s breeze. Her whole figure seemed to move with natural elegance. With his mother’s hand in his, Sera stared at Heather, and as she turned her head to meet Sera's gaze, he stepped back, surprised to see her smiling at him. Sera couldn't pull away, not only awed by Heather's presence, but overjoyed that she had noticed him.

            “Who's that?” Sera asked in his little voice.

            Eva Sykora smiled at her son. “Our friend Heather,” she said.

            “Our friend?”

            “Yes,” she replied. She smiled at Heather, who nodded in response. Though she was a friend to Eva and her son, Heather distanced herself from many of the villagers because she knew what they thought of her; she knew that her very presence stirred animosity between even the best of friends.

Although no one in Sun Veil could compare to the sheer beauty of Heather, Eva Sykora radiated with her own allure, accentuated by a lean figure and long, dark brown hair that cascaded from her crown, the color complementing her sparkling brown irises. Young Sera, though, was only ever captivated by the necklace that wrapped around her neck. He had never seen her without it. Often, whenever caught in her embrace, he gazed at it, moving his finger along the chain-linked metal until coming to the blaze of the medallion that rested in the middle. It was a curious design�"fire engulfing Earth�"but Sera simply marveled at it, its dazzle and shine amusing his young mind. He, though, was not the only one in that village captivated by that mysterious symbol, for all wondered about it. Some saw it as a symbol of the Legend of Sun Veil and a sign of peace and hope, while others simply saw it as the melding of Sun and Earth and the very symbol of the great festival of Solteras.

 As Sera and Eva continued walking through the market district, people stared at him with looks of anger, of discontent, with an ever present lack of empathy. Many villagers feared that little boy, feared that if he drew near he would curse them. Sera didn’t understand why so many gave him dirty looks and why only Heather would look and smile at him. He didn’t understand that he, a little, innocent boy of about three, had brought death to the village.

Sera's birth brought the storms.

Sera was born on a cold night in the month of Snowfall, amid swirling snows and glistening rooftops. Twinkling in the moonlight, the freshly-fallen snow blanketed the land, dusting even the great blades of Soltera. On this night, many stood outside the Sykora home, warmed by roaring fires, awaiting any sign of the boy's birth. Birth was special in Sun Veil, especially so on that night, for the Sykoras were one of the most prominent families of the village. Both Eva and Seraphim Sykora were village elders, but aside from that, according to the doctrine of the Spirit Temple, it was believed that the Sykoras had connections to the families spoken of by the ancients long ago. Some villagers, such as the Fero family, did not acknowledge such tales (there was limited proof of any such legend), but the village contained a faithful community of believers, such as Claudia and Shepard Merryweather, who whole-heartily believed in it. The Merryweathers along with several others stood outside the Sykora home, waiting for news of the birth, waiting for a sign of peace�"if the legend were indeed true�"and hoping for fear to vanish from their lives.

The peace did not come.

            “Seraphim has just told me it's a boy!” yelled Shepard Merryweather to the villagers, and they exploded into cheers.

             Yet, the moment Sera was born, just after he wailed for the first time, lightning sliced through the clouds, flashing violently and ripping through the villagers' homes. All of Sun Veil shrieked with fear, for it had never seen such evil. Despite the cold, despite the snow on the ground, rain pounded the village as it poured from the heavens, and the wind, as it whipped and rushed through the trees, howled�"an untamed beast hunting its prey. The people scrambled back to their homes, looking for shelter. The rain fell harder; the wind grew louder.

And then the wind walked.

Out of the darkness, the villagers saw the funnel�"the Walking Wind. It bellowed low in the night, its dull groan shaking the ground. The trees of the Forest of Shroud rushed like ocean waves. They ran from the storm and barricaded their homes. With the swaddled Sera Sykora in her arms, Eva pleaded with her husband.

“Sera, you can't go out there, not now! The storm...the wind.” As a village elder, Seraphim Sykora had a responsibility to the village, and his heart ached for the safety of its inhabitants.

“You know I have to, Eva.” And without another word, he rushed into that terrible storm, amid the monster that was the Walking Wind. Seraphim Sykora was never seen again, and sadly, on that night, he did not die alone. The tornado shredded much of the village, as the skeletal bolts of lightning scorched the homes. Never before had Sun Veil soaked in so many tears. Never before had it heard the deafening sound of death. Irrevocably changed, the villagers mourned for days. Sera's birth had brought death and sorrow.

Yet, time mends all wounds, and the long years of that unusual village, like a careful, compassionate nurse, patched and bandaged the hurts of the villagers. Just as quickly as they had arrived, the storms had vanished, never seen again. Two years after the terrible lightning storm�"after the horrors of the Walking Wind�"Sun Veil and most of its inhabitants continued to live as they had once lived, forgetting the sorrow that had once paralyzed them. Farmers continued to farm, merchants continued to trade, healers healed, bakers baked, and so life went. No matter how much they resisted, no matter how hard they tried to deny it, time mended their hearts and minds.

Time erases grief, but time itself can never be erased. The past will always be�"the scars of the present proof of the atrocities of the past. Though their grief had gone, the villagers saw their scar walk before them in the presence of a little boy, who served as a constant reminder of the terrible pain of death.