Hello! I hope you that had an auspicious past two weeks and are now ready for a new feature of A Writer's Pen!

    I've been toying with the idea of posting some of my own fiction work for quite some time. It was one of my primary ideas for content when I started this blog, but I never quite had the material that I was looking to post. Luckily, I recently wrote a piece and found that it was just the sort of story that I had been hoping for!

   I wrote this flash fiction for a contest. It's always refreshing to take a breather from the normal flow of writing and explore a new style. In this story, I pursued the concept of a story being directly told by the character to the reader. Instead of the typical feel of a novel, I sought to write a story that you can feel being told in a hushed voice around the dying embers of a fire. Not quite a full story, but the beginning of an untold adventure. 

    It was a rewarding experience! I truly enjoyed this form of writing, and I found it to be something I might experiment with more in the future!

    Since I've never released fiction on this blog before, consider this story a test run. How often I'll be posting short stories depends on how this turns out, so I would love your feedback on what you think! 

    Without further ado, I'd like to share with you...

Storm Chaser

    I always ran into the storm. Since the day I could walk, I set my course with the wind. I never tried to explain it to anyone… Until now.
    Because it’s time that someone heard my story.
    Listen, if you will, to the tale of a storm chaser. 

    It’s hard to describe why storms drew me so strongly. It wasn’t the rain or snow that scurried along the windy channels. No, they were simply passengers clinging to a force they could not see. It was the wind itself that fascinated me. That wild creature roaming over the face of the earth, going where it willed with the speed of a sunbeam.

    Bound to nothing. 

    Always moving, always going, and never arriving. 

    Wild.

    Reckless.

    Free.    

    I ran into the storm to catch it. Not the storm itself, but a glimpse of the unfettered power that coursed freely through its frosted breath.    

    Yet every time I weathered a tempest and glimpsed its might, I thirsted for more. Whenever I chased a blizzard, I returned more empty than before.

    One evening, when the pitter-patter of raindrops came like the footsteps of an old friend, I again felt the beckon of the storm. Dark clouds spilled over the horizon, and I ran to meet them. The giants of the sky battered their drums overhead, groaning in their ancient song. A wayward breeze stole my breath away to its dancing travels.

    I wasn’t afraid. I never was. I knew the storm like a clockmaker knows the ticks from the tocks.... At least, I thought I did. 

    That day, it was different. 

    Savage.

    Angry. 

    Harsh.

    The thundering drums no longer played a song, but a warcry. Teeth of lightning clamped the air around me, scattering sparks in my darkened vision. The wind fought with the air, not knowing that they were one being. Trembling, I sunk to the ground, feeling the firmness beneath me as my very last refuge. Something strong inside of me suddenly vanished, and, though I had never noticed its presence, I keenly felt its absence.     

    I was afraid of the storm.

    I can’t tell how or why… but that day I truly caught the storm. 

    Not just a glimpse, but the storm itself. It did subside, but it never really left me. I caught it, and now it’s a part of me.

    This time, I can’t escape. 

    For the first time in my life… I’m running away from the storm. 

    Always moving, always going, and never arriving.

    Wild

    Reckless

    Trapped.

    The wind inside my heart longs to once again fly free, not caring where I go as long as I simply go. 

    And, now, I’ve lingered here too long. Again I must go.  Please, my friend, remember the tale of the storm chaser. Though my story is a dark one, it is far from over. There is still room for light yet. 

    My wanderings have brought me to the edges of the earth and the depths of the sea, but, wherever I go, I will always have an anchor.

    Hope keeps me steady and holds me fast.

    

    I hope that you enjoyed this story! If you'd like to see more content like this, please let me know by commenting below or using one of the methods offered on the Contact page.

    Until next time,

    ~Madelyn