The Calm After the Storm
Once upon a time a woman walked, hunched and bent, into the middle of a field. A storm was brewing. She could feel the creaking of the forest around the field as it braced itself for the squall. And then, it came. The wind blew and it gusted and it galed, but she simply stood in the midst of it, her hands clenched in fists at her side.
The rain came and went. Lightening flickered and thunder crashed. The wind began to whirl, and the force of it was enough to make the woman's body shake.
Still, she stood.
The storm ended.
The woman lifted her head as she left the field. Her steps were strong, her back straight. She showed no sign of the wearying hours she had spent in the throws of the weather.
She walked into her cottage, sat down in a chair, and smiled.
All was calm.