All day long, the sky had taken on a dramatic quality. Dark clouds tinted the clear parts of the sky a sickly green color. The air outside played into the theatrical scene with enough moisture to drench a person if they dare set foot outside. This weather was the exact kind that Ella adored. 

She wandered room to room in her house, tripping over the cat as she tried to find a perch to settle in on with a book to watch the storm come in. 

The living room was too low, the master bedroom too distracting since Sabrina had co-opted their bed as gamer-girl island. Even the kitchen window, which offered a framed look at their patio and garden was not ideal since Starburst kept meowing and demanding attention and treats he didn’t need. 

Finally, Ella settled for the patio, stripping down to shorts and a swim top to risk the humidity and a little rain for the chance to get a front seat to the storm. 

She dragged a patio chair to the edge of the bricks and settled on the plastic seat, planting her feet in the earth grass. A hint of moisture pressed into her toes as she dug into the cool soil. Ahead of her, the thunder clouds began rolling in.

Ella breathed deep, the hint of rain scented on the weak breeze. Electricity sparked the air. 

The first crack of lightning illuminated the darkening sky, pulling a gasp from her throat. The rumble came moments later, giving the clouds a beastly growl that vibrated the ground beneath her feet. 

Relentlessly, the clouds crawled closser, the wind that carried it shaking the branches of the Hackberry tree. The wind breathed on Ella’s face, pushing back her sweat slicked hair away from her neck. Electricity set the hair on her arms at attention. Her whole being tense. 

The first fleeting sense of danger rushed into her chest, pooling in her lungs. A second later the world was white. The storm roared, sending Ella flying back. She hit the brick, scuffing her right arm, the plastic chair clattering down beside her. The world was silent but for the sound of burning wood and the hiss of rain. 

She stared at the tree, transfixed. Despite the rain she could feel the heat of the fire licking up the branches, and Ella listened for the prophecy of Mother Nature from the burning leaves. They hissed under rain drops, something sinister in the sound, but no message could she hear. 

Behind her, the bedroom window slammed up and Sabrina announced she was calling the fire department between curse words. Ella, in turn, stood up, righted the plastic patio chair, and went back inside to dry off and pet the cat.