It was a sweltering summertime, and no one expected a drop of rain or a flake of snow. To everyone's astonishment, the sky darkened rapidly. The weather swiftly shifted—clouds turned menacingly dark, accompanied by a sudden, steady wind and the distant rumble of thunder, followed by flashes of lightning.
Amid this atmospheric change, Wendy and Tessa sat in the living room, their voices filled the air. To an outsider, it might have seemed like they were in a heated argument, but in reality, this was just their typical routine. They argue like they get paid and nothing at all could deter them - except, perhaps, another clap of thunder.
One thing that the sisters shared in common was logical reasoning, although Wendy who is the younger sister is a reserved and calm person, she is quite more beautiful and serious-minded than her sister who is free-minded and friendly.
As the wind gradually gained strength, a deep, resonating clap of thunder reverberated through the air, shaking the surroundings and unsettling everything around. It was quickly followed by a brilliant, sharp lightning bolt.
The girls paused when they felt the vibrations beneath their feet.
“Is that thunder?” Tessa asked, her mouth agape.
“I think so,” Wendy replied, walking over to the window. “Wow! Tessa, come take a look. It seems like it is about to rain,” She called out to her sister.
“Unbelievable! It is summer,” Tessa exclaimed as she joined Wendy by the window. “But it looks like more than just rain.”
“Let me go get the dog and secure anything that could be damaged before the rain begins,” Wendy volunteered, receiving a nod of agreement from Tessa.
Wendy stepped outside and called for the dog while quickly packing the necessary items. Coco ran toward her, and she patted its head as its tail wagged with excitement.
“I’ll be right back, let me drop this inside,” she said to Coco.
Returning outside, the wind grew more intense and Wendy hastily locked Coco into its house by the gate.
Wendy paused immediately after she heard her name, she looked around but she found it hard to see through the vigorous wind.
“Tessa?” Wendy called out
“Wen..dy,” a distorted voice responded through the gusts.
“Tessa, stop joking around,” Wendy called out as her heart quickened.
“Wendy,” she heard an eerie voice and a cold finger tapped her shoulder.
Wendy swiftly turned around as fear mounted on her, and her heart pounded violently. She couldn't spot anyone around her but realized that she was encircled by the swirling winds, which seemed to beckon her.
“Wendyyyy,” The voice called again and she felt a touch on her face.
“Oh my god!” Wendy shivered, and she felt the touch again, this time with someone’s breath on her neck. Wendy toppled to the ground, her body hitting the floor with a thump. Panic coursed through her, and in a panicky attempt to escape, she found herself moving backward on the floor, scrambling away from the unseen threat. Each backward crawl intensified her fear, her movements were uncontrolled, as her eyes scanned everywhere quickly.
She took some deep breaths and gathered just enough courage to stand up, her breaths quickened as she shouted, “Show yourself, you coward!!”
“I’m glad to be here, Wendy” the eerie voice echoed, Wendy's eyes immediately caught a figure within the swirling wind. She widened her eyes, straining to see further, but all she could discern was gusts.
Silence fell over the scene, with only the sound of Wendy's heavy breathing and Coco's sketchy barks. Terrified, she scrambled to move away but it was swirling.
“Finally, I meet you,” Wendy traced the voice only to see a bizarre figure, Its face was obscured in darkness, almost featureless except for a pointed, nose-like structure. its body seemed ethereal, almost like the wind itself.
Wendy screamed and tumbled to the ground, her pain unnoticed as pure terror overwhelmed her.
“Wen,” Wendy heard a distant voice, unmistakably Tessa, who always called her Wen.
Wendy tried to respond, but her voice failed her. The figure drew closer, and she felt her muscles weaken.
The figure gently touched her face, saying, “I’m coming,” its voice was calmer and filled with emotions.
Another touch on her shoulder made Wendy turn her head frantically, only to see Tessa with a confused expression. Tears welled up in Wendy's eyes as she hugged Tessa as if her life depended on it.
"I heard you scream. What are you doing on the floor? It's windy. Get inside," Tessa said, helping Wendy to her feet.
“You didn’t see anything?” Wendy questioned through tears, her voice cracking. Tessa responded with a puzzled look.
“There was something in the wind, Tessa,” Wendy's voice trembled as she watched her sister in despair.
“Come inside, darling” Tessa offered a hand.
Wendy curled up on her bed, unable to unravel what had just happened. She couldn't figure out if she was hallucinating or if it was real. Wendy whimpered, unable to shake the unsettling feeling she had experienced, and no one seemed to understand what she had gone through.
"Hey, looks like the rain decided not to fall; the atmosphere is back to normal,” Tessa said as she entered Wendy’s room.
“You said, 'but it looks like it's more than just rain,'” Wendy whispered, loud enough for Tessa to hear.
"I didn't mean it was something strange like you're saying,” Tessa patted Wendy's back and placed the tea she had brought on the nightstand. “Go to sleep, dear," she added.
“I can't sleep alone,” Wendy said just as Tessa was about to close the door.
Wendy spent night in Tessa’s room, but that didn't prevent her from having nightmares. She would wake up in the middle of the night, screaming, “I saw it, I saw the same thing I saw in the wind,” and Tessa would always calm her down.
On the third night, during the third nightmare, Wendy sprang up from Tessa’s bed, covered in her own sweat.
“Again?” Tessa questioned as soon as she woke.
"Yes, but this time it's different,” Wendy sniffed. "It's like it's in pain. And it's calling me," Wendy explained further.
"Maybe it needs help,” Tessa suggested.
Wendy decided to answer its call, but surprisingly, she didn't have nightmares that night.
One afternoon, Wendy sat in her room, munching on some chips. She pushed aside the books in front of her and concluded that she would complete her assignment later. Putting on some music, she lay down on her bed.
Wendy was enjoying the moment until she felt a steady breeze coming from the door. She turned her head towards the door and saw the same figure she had encountered in the wind. She paused the music, trying to compose herself not to scream.
“Finally, you've accepted me,” it said, but with a calmer voice.
“Who are you?” Wendy questioned intensely.
“I'm Ariel, one of the messengers of the gifted. You have been chosen by Comforter the Gifted,” Ariel replied.
“Gifted? Comforter the Gifted?” Wendy questioned, perplexed.
Ariel explained that she had been chosen by now-deceased Comforter the Gifted, whose gift was to bring comfort and counsel to those in pain. Ariel was here to deliver the gift and had located Wendy through the wind. She had been trying to reach out to her to accept because she couldn't do much in the wind.
Ariel pulled a gemstone from her heart and handed Wendy the stone. After a lengthy discussion, Wendy accepted the role, and the stone entered into her. She promised Ariel to use the gift well. From that day on, Wendy started showing love and relating to people in distress, and her gift soon became known.
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Images is mine is not sourced.
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