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The good after the bad.

There was a thrashing storm visible against the horizon. It was advancing towards us and growing bigger and bigger into a tunnel of dust while engulfing the objects and uprooting the trees that came along its path. The danger was evident and the outcome inevitable.

What could have been done? We could not move, we were destined to stay grounded to our roots. All that we could do is duck down and hope that the storm passes by without hurting us much. We prayed anxiously with each verse getting louder and louder as the storm approached us. We couldn’t even reach out to each other or hold our hands and stand together – an act which humans are blessed to be able to do. I looked at her and she returned my gaze with an affirmative nod as if to tell me that we will make it through this.

And in that very moment, my vision blurred out as the storm took over. All I could hear was her screaming while I anxiously tried to withstand the pressure of the wind and rub out the grime from my eyes.

For what seemed to last forever finally ended in a span of a couple of minutes. I regained my composure and looked out for her. She lay just next to me surrounded by a bed of dry foliage with her face against the ground. She was unconscious and her body was frail making it evident that her slender frame could not withstand the storm. I called out to her multiple times hoping my voice, my love or my sense of helplessness would somehow awaken her. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t help her. With every call I started to lose hope. Not able to withstand the reality, I broke down and started to sob uncontrollably. She was gone – my best friend, my confidante.

I mustered the courage to accept. After all, I had a life to live. I turned to look at her one last time however, this time I saw a glimmer of life in her. I could sense that she had regained her consciousness as she was breathing. “Oh God, Oh God, she is alive!” I yelped.

She slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head to look at me, unable to speak but smiled faintly. Her smile spoke a thousand words. I looked at her with dewy eyes and returned her smile reassuringly. The worst was over – we had made it.

I looked up and saw that the weather had cleared. The sun shinned at its brightest with the clouds moving aside to make way for its rays. The birds returned to their nests and chirped happily. There was a sense of renewed hope in the air. The storm was here to make us realise the same. No matter how tough the situation, if we manage to withstand it then we will be rewarded with something better.

We lifted our heads in unison to look at our almighty – our source of grit and hope.

He the Sun and we his followers – the Sunflowers.

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