The Wrath of God

I arrived at the mall for some afterwork holiday shopping. 

The sun was setting and the light began to turn a bright orangey red. I paused outside the sliding glass doors to appreciate nature in all its glory. I had never seen such colors in the sky before. A cold wind blew and, as I watched, dark clouds swirled and formed. I had always enjoyed staring at clouds and seeing other things like funny animals and people. These clouds did not amuse me. They looked sinister. 

It was as if the sky was on fire and they were the smoke.

One of the clouds was moving more quickly than the others. I watched as it took shape. It was a hand! I could see it clearly. The fingers were long and skinny and tipped with sharp nails. That was the freakiest thing I had ever seen in my life. Usually cloud formations only hinted at objects in silhouette, but I could see every crease and bony knuckle. The hand was reaching for me, trying to grab me! I was frozen with fear. 

All I could do was squeeze my eyes shut and scream.

Oh, GOD, it was touching me! I could feel its little pokes and prods. I shivered as the icy fingers tapped out a rhythm all over my body. They were sinking through my clothes to touch my bare skin underneath. "NO!"

"Run!" Someone nearby yelled. "Get inside quick! The storm is coming!"

Storm?

I opened my eyes and looked up again. It wasn't fingers. It was rain streaming down through the cloud! And I was getting soaked to the bone. 

I turned and quickly ran into the building.
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Thank you to Paul Myers for his excellent photography.