The Storm

I’d been out in Etobicoke with Miranda and Mitul, swimming at Memorial Pool. Miranda and I got in the car, and she was going to drop me off at Royal York.

As we got into the car and I finished the sentence I was saying, a flash of lightning lit up the sky. No thunder followed, no rain fell. We drove down Dundas and cut across Montgomery. As we did, the lights went out. They seemed to periodically flicker back on, but then went back off. Miranda had her high beams on - in the city. It was pitch black.

The wind was starting to blow fiercely. As we were going down Montgomery, a branch whacked the side of the car, giving us both a start. On Bloor, there was dust everywhere. Pylons from the road construction were blowing around, and we hoped not to get hit by road signs.

I didn’t want to go home. I was worried that the electricity would go out on the subway, and I didn’t like the idea of being on the train in such high wind. We went to Miranda’s house. Tree branches were coming down everywhere. A big one had fallen on her street, and we had to get out to pull it out of the way.

The whole thing felt wrong. It felt unnatural. We both had the gut feeling that things were off. When we had to get out of the car to pull the tree branch out of the road, I hated being outside. I realize it sounds ridiculous, but I feared that there would be wind demons out there. When we got to Miranda’s place, I ran into the house. About then, the rain started falling.

The news was telling people to go into their basements, so to be protected from any falling branches. They also said that the front of the storm was already in the East End, but I didn’t feel safe going home. I slept over.

In the middle of the night, I woke up to go to the bathroom. I felt as if someone were lying next to me. When I got back to bed, I reached my hands across it, into the darkness, but felt nothing.

... And then, on Friday, we got back together.
What a wacky world.

I had lots more to say about bleeding homeless people, the Fringe Festival and Goth clothes, but that'll have to wait.