Blame It On the Weatherman

They stood frozen, watching the aftermath of the explosion as the mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke drifted into the already grey sky and the embers of fire and debris rained down like glowing red rain.

The young 2nd -in-command worriedly ran across a small plateau to where his leader, a tall, youthful man with an easy-going demeanor, stood, chatting about nothing with his four guards.

"Sir!" the 2nd -in-command exclaimed, pointing to a large group of tents and shelters below them and several miles to the East. His wild blond hair flew about as he ran, his innocent eyes expressing worry and slight fear.

Leader paused in his conversation to follow the direction his 2nd was pointing out to him. He analyzed the enemy infested land below them with an air of calmness and boredom as his 2nd continued to fret.

"Sir, the enemy has completely taken over our encampment," 2nd began once he had reached Leader's side, "I have already pulled back our troops, but with the food and weapons that we were forced to leave, they now have the advantage and are more prepared than us, who only have what is on our person. They will surely catch us and attack before we are able to reach your father's kingdom."

Leader finally pulled his eyes away from the encampment that their enemies had taken and were settling into, obviously thinking they had the upper hand, and looked down to his shorter comrade with a slightly humorous smile, "You worry too much for someone your age. Relax, there is nothing to worry about " I'll take care of it."

2nd was doubtful that Leader could take care of the entire problem, but trusted him nonetheless and looked up at him expectantly for further explanation.

The guards, too, stepped closer, eager to hear what Leader would do and how he was so confident.

Leader looked back down to the camp, watching as the last of their long line of enemy militia filed into to the large site (their own army was quite large as well). Slowly, he raised his left arm, gloved hand pointed to the camp and, in a great dramatic display, he snapped his fingers. Silence encased them. Leader left his arm in the same position for several minutes before letting it return to his side.

The guards sweat-dropped and 2nd nearly fell over at the theatrical display, "Um, L-Leader…" 2nd spoke hesitantly as still nothing happened, even five minutes later.

At that moment, the clouds above began to glow from within, backlighting the grey storm clouds with an eerie red glow.

2nd's and the guards' eyes widened in astonishment as they watched a pillar of fire develop, spinning in a tight circle and descend from the heavens towards the surface of the Earth.

Leader's eyes widened in delight, a childish smile over his mouth.

In less than three seconds, the cannon of flames plummeted down and struck the encampment directly in its center.

Leader voiced in a delightedly small voice that could only be heard in the second of silence that followed, "Boom..." Not a half-second later, an enormous explosion erupted from the point of impact, traveling at the speed of light in a four mile radius around the point, forming a globe of fire, smoke, and destruction two times the size of the camp. A resounding KABOOM! flew past their ears, several large shockwaves following closely behind, shaking the ground and blowing hurricane-force winds at them.

They stood stagnant and silent, watching the aftermath of the explosion as the mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke drifted into the already grey sky and the embers of fire and debris rained down like glowing, red drops of burning rain. After quite a while, after all the smoke and dust had mostly cleared, they looked upon the barren and charred black ground where once stood their enemies and tents.

All four of the sentries stood with wide eyes and gapping mouths. 2nd's mouth was moving with silent words of awe at the hidden power Leader had just displayed.

After a few more moments, Leader turned to his small group of subordinates and clapped his hands a few times to gain their attention. "All right, that's a wrap. Tell my army that it is time to head out again " home is on the horizon!" He commanded cheerfully before turning and walking towards the head of their long assembly, not a care in the world.

Author's Note

This story, strangely enough, was thought into existence while my youth pastor was making crazy sound effects to help emphasize his point during a message. It sounds weird – mainly 'cause it is – but it was actually quite funny. 'Why,' you might ask, 'is this only a one-shot and not a full-fledged story?' Well, frankly, the 'hero' in the story is just too cool to make a believable story. He's like, Superman, the Flame Alchemist (for those who have been enlightened), or Jason Bourne! I mean, you can only have so many of those 'super awesome, save-the-world kind of guys.' Just imagine if you added Leader to that list…that's just scary.