text: Stormy Day It was a beautiful day. The big fluffy clouds looked like cotton candy ready to be picked. There were towering cumulus clouds that could be an indication of rain to come. If you gazed long enough at them and had a vivid imagination you could see faces, animals and all sorts of things in the clouds. The blue hue of the sky looked like the Caribbean Sea with its clear vivid colors. There was a calmness in the air and a gentle breeze blowing from the west. The weatherman was calling for storms in the afternoon, however looking at the sky you wouldn’t think it was possible. The tree leaves were wearing their autumn shades of orange, red, gold, and green as they danced and swirled to the ground with the breeze. It was a perfect Autumn day to take a walk through the forest. Once in the forest there was a stark difference in the temperature. It was 10 degrees cooler under the canopy of trees. Little animals could be seen darting about the forest floor gathering nuts and other items to get them ready for the upcoming winter. Birds could be heard flitting in the tree tops and calling out to other birds. It shattered the quiet of the forest. Walking on the carpet of fallen leaves, the crunching noise reverberated though the forest scaring the birds who took flight above. The forest was quiet again. Wandering through the forest brought up memories of long-ago days as a child running through the cool forest and gathering the colored leaves to take home and put them in a scrapbook. There were tons of acorns and pine cones on the ground. More treasures to take back home and make something crafty. A loud rumble could be heard in the distance and the forest quickly turned dark with the approaching storm. It was a little spooky in the forest with the fast approaching storm turning it pitch black. Looking around at the nearby surroundings it appeared I had wandered farther into the forest than was originally planned. A sense of dread came over me as I knew that the little creek would flood and leave me stranded in the middle of the woods. With my heart beating faster I picked up my pace to try and get back to the creek crossing before it was too late. A loud clap of thunder was heard overhead and the sky lit up like the Fourth of July. The sky opened up and the torrential rain came down like someone had opened a dam and the water came spilling out. Panicked I picked up the pace and half power walked and half ran to beat the rain that would fill up the creek. It was the only thing between me and civilization. A sense of dismay came over me as I knew I wouldn’t get to the creek in time before the rain caused it spill over its banks. I had to come up with a plan fast or I would be trapped. There was nowhere to go to keep from getting drenched. I started to run and at the time it seemed like a good idea. I didn’t take into consideration the that the leaves would be slippery under my feet. Running like my life depended on it I sped up the pace and as luck would have it I tripped over a small limb and crashed to the ground. It happened so fast I didn’t have time to catch myself. I hit my head so hard I saw stars and blackness. Laying there for a minute to catch my breath and shake the fuzziness out of my head before I got up. It was a bad idea and the pain shot through my whole body and left me dazed and confused. Great, this was no time to be clumsy. I tried to get back up on my feet and as I did a sharp burning pain shot right through me. It appeared I had broken my ankle when I fell. The thought of spending the night in the forest didn’t thrill me. I had to come up with a plan and I had no idea what I was going to do. I started to have a panic attack and all that did was add to the horrendous situation I was in. I had made it to the creek and its banks were flooded with the rain and started filling up the surrounding ground. I felt like I was going to die if I didn’t get out of the forest soon. Getting a grip on myself I started to take deep breaths to try and calm my thoughts before I went into a full-blown panic attack, which would add injury to insult to my current situation. I started to crawl towards the creek on my hands and knees. Every little movement caused my injury to send sharp shooting pain through my whole body. It almost caused me to pass out with every jarring pain upon movement. I am strong woman and I had been in other situations worse than my current one. Drowning wasn’t an option so I crawled inch by inch towards the flooding creek. The ground had tons of rocks and broken branches caused my hands and knees to bleed. However, I ignored the pain and kept going towards the creek. Once I got there the water was freezing cold, causing me to shiver uncontrollably. I almost wanted to give up as my situation only got worse. Once at the creek the water around it was about 4 inches deep and at this point I was going to have to swim to get to the other side. My only saving grace was the creek didn’t have a fast current. The storm overhead proceeded to get stronger. Jagged lightening kept hitting the forest ground. My current thought was I was going to be the next target and get electrocuted. That was not a happy thought and made me even more determined to get the other side of the creek. Once over to the other side I wasn’t sure I would be able to get to the house. The land was nothing but wide-open field and I would have no protection from the raging storm overhead. I guess I should have taken heed to the weatherman and stayed home. However, at this point that thought was moot. More determined than ever, I kept crawling on the soggy rain flooded ground. Not sure how I was going to get across the creek I kept going. The creek was about 18 inches wide with a mild current. The overflowing banks kept bringing more water into the forest making my situation even worse. I was at the bank and I did the only thing I could. I plunged into the water praying I would make it to the other side before I drowned or got struck by lightning. A loud clap of thunder was heard overhead and the lightening soon followed. The strikes were getting closer to me and it turned my body into one big goose bump. I was freezing cold because of the water and the drop-in temperature. What a messy predicament I found myself in. The water was freezing cold and it sent a jolt through my body. My ankle was adding to the situation. Freezing, in pain, and scared to death I kept on crawling forward. The water helped to keep my foot afloat giving me the motivation to keep going. Inch by inch I tried to swim across the creek. Thank God it wasn’t very deep and I could stand up on one leg if I needed to. The storm raved on and little rivulets of rain streamed down my face. The torrential rain kept coming with no sign of letting up. Cautiously I swam across the creek and eventually after what seemed like hours I made it to the other side. The ground was flooded, but I kept crawling until I made it to the edge of the forest trying to come up with a plan on how I was going to make it across the field to the house. I could see the house from my position, but I could also see the dark and ominous storm on the horizon. The sight sent a shiver down my spine as I started to crawl towards home. My hands and knees were bleeding profusely at this point from all the debris on the ground. I started my long, slow trek across the field. The lightening was hitting the ground all around me and loud claps of thunder continued on. I kept praying that I wouldn’t get struck by the jagged lightening as it hit the ground. Finally, I was about five feet from the house. The pain and the situation I was in made me want to cry, however I refused. I finally made it to the doorstep of the house and collapsed from the pain and exhaustion. The storm seemed to be getting stronger and the clouds were swirling overhead. Great a tornado was just what I needed. I managed to get the door open and get inside. I tried to stand up so I could turn the heat up to warm myself. The movement made me collapse again as the pain from my ankle shot up my leg and throughout my body. I took some deep breaths to try and calm down. I had managed to turn the heat up to 85 degrees and the warmth sent a sense of wellbeing throughout my body. I was in the house, out of the rain, and relatively safe from the raging storm outside. I crawled to the window to watch the storms and swirling clouds. Minutes passed as I held my breath and watched the cloud slowly creep to the ground in a funnel formation. I prayed that the forming funnel cloud wouldn’t reach the ground. As I watched the funnel cloud start to dissipate and disappear, I let out a deep breath as the funnel cloud disappeared back up into the sky. Now that I was safe and warm I had to deal with my ankle. I called a friend who came over and picked me up to go to the hospital. They took x-rays and confirmed that my ankle was broken. They cleaned up the wounds on my hands and knees and put a cast on my ankle and sent me on my way. I thanked my friend when they dropped me off and I laid down on the couch to relax. I slept for a few hours as the storm raged on outside. When I woke up it was calm and quiet. I looked outside and the sun was trying to peak out of the clouds. It appeared the storm was over. I reflected on my day and thought about how lucky I was to have survived my horrendous time in the forest. What started out as a nice quiet walk into the woods quickly turned into a living nightmare. As I reflected I decided that next time I would heed the weatherman’s warning. The nightmare in the forest made me a stronger person and I knew I could survive anything thrown at me. With that thought in my head I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down to read a book. I knew that life could be tough and we have choices that could make it easy or hard. Today had been a hard day and I learned a little more about myself. I am strong women who can conquer anything I set my mind to. With that thought I slowly drifted off to sleep, thankful I had survived the day.