Gedeon's Desperate Fight Against the Storms

The sun had almost set and the sky was a palette of pastel colors; orange, pink, blue, white. The sun’s rays shone through the clouds and were reflected off the salty ocean water, giving it a golden sheen.

A large rock flew through the air, cutting through the air like a bullet. It landed with a splash in the middle of the bay, sending up a spray of salty water. Gedeon shielded his eyes and looked out over the rocky beach. The waters were unusually turbulent, and the previously calm evening breeze had turned into a strong wind that whistled through the rocks. He could see dark clouds gathering in the sky, and the sky around them was a sickly green.

He was back on duty tonight, patrolling the coast again. The council had given him a promotion after the incident a few weeks ago when a massive wave had swept up several houses and deposited them in the center of town. Gedeon had seen the wave coming and had sounded the alarm, but it had been too late for anyone to escape.

He walked along the rocky beach, looking for any signs of damage. The waves were getting bigger, and he could see the tide was rising higher than usual. He saw some people walking along the shore, taking in the view. If a big wave came out at night, they wouldn’t be able to see it until it was too late. “Hey!” he shouted, waving his arms at them. “Get off the beach!”

The two men stopped, turned around, and looked at Gedeon. They were wearing fancy clothes and had long, pointed noses. They looked at each other, then at Gedeon, then back at each other. Then they continued walking. Gedeon shook his head and continued walking towards them. “Hey!” he shouted again. “You need to get off the beach. The waves are getting bigger and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

The two men exchanged a look again, shrugged, and started walking away from the water. Gedeon sighed with relief and continued walking. He suddenly heard a loud crash behind him, and turned around to see the two men staring at their feet. Their fancy shoes had gotten stuck on a large rock, and they couldn’t move. Gedeon ran towards them and pulled them free. “Are you alright?” he asked. “Let me help you get up the hill.” He took their hands and helped them up. Once they were on stable ground, he let go of their hands. “Thanks for helping us,” said one of the men. “I’m Omar, and this is my friend Ahmed.” They both bowed. “Gedeon. It’s nice to meet you.” He smiled. “But you really shouldn’t be walking on the beach. The waves are getting really big. If you stay close to the town, you’ll be safer.”

“We’re just tourists,” said Omar. “We don’t live here, we just came to see the view.”

“Oh. Well, you should get back to your hotel soon. It looks like the weather is going to get worse.”

Omar and Ahmed looked at each other and shrugged, then started walking back to town. Gedeon walked back to his tower and climbed up. He got into his tower and leaned against the wall, sighing. It was nice to have some time to himself. He hadn’t had a moment to himself since the wave, and it felt nice to relax.

Then he heard a loud boom, and the lights went out. He checked his watch to see that it was only 9 PM, so there shouldn’t have been a blackout yet. He climbed down the ladder and opened the door to check on the generator. It was lying on the ground, and the nearby trees were scorched. That must have been a lightning strike, he thought. He picked up the generator and carried it into the tower, then climbed back up the ladder and closed the door, locking it. He looked out the window and saw that the lightning had also struck the power lines, which were now hanging on their side.

He looked out over the town and noticed that a small fire had started in one of the buildings. He opened his mouth to shout for the fire department, but then he remembered that no one had repaired the fire engine after the wave had destroyed it. He climbed down the ladder and grabbed his phone, then dialed 911. The phone rang, but no one picked up. He tried again, and then again and again. Finally, after the fifth try, someone answered. “Hello?” said a voice, sounding sleepy. “What’s going on?” Gedeon recognized the voice as Aida’s. “Gedeon? Is that you?”

“Yes, it’s me. Listen, the town is in trouble. You need to call the fire department. The power is out and there is a fire in one of the buildings.”

Aida yawned. “Alright. I’ll call them right now.”

Gedeon walked over to the tower and called the fire department, but no one answered. He tried several more times, but received the same result. The fire was growing, and he knew that he would have to do something about it.

He went back to the tower and climbed down the ladder. He opened the door, and the wind blew his hair across his face. It was a strong wind, but it didn’t feel like a storm. He walked down the hill and into the town. He saw that a few more buildings had caught fire, and that many of the windows on the buildings had broken. He started running towards the fire, and when he reached it, he kicked down the door. He ran into the building and immediately began spraying down the fire. He could feel the heat on his face, and he could hear the fire crackling. He sprayed down the fire until it was extinguished, then went outside and gasped for air. The wind was blowing harder now, and it was starting to rain. He looked up at the sky and saw that the clouds had grown thicker, blocking the sun. Then he heard a rumble above him, and he turned around to see a large boulder flying through the air, heading straight towards him. He couldn’t move fast enough and it fell on his head, knocking him unconscious.

When he opened his eyes, Gedeon was lying in the dirt. His head hurt, but he couldn’t tell if he had hit anything. He stood up shakily, then looked around. The town was covered in mud and rocks, and the three buildings closest to the shore were now half-crushed. He spotted a man walking through the rubble, and waved at him. The man turned around and waved back. “Hey!” shouted Gedeon. “Are you alright?”