A Bolt From the Blue

I never really thought about my final moments, if I were honest with myself. I always thought that they would be in a nice warm bed, as an old woman, surrounded by my family. But, such is life, and nothing ever works out the way you planned it.

And so, it came to be that as I was walking casually down the same road I walked down everyday to return home from work, that I finally realised what my final moments would be like. And let me tell you – I never even saw it coming.

There was a low rumble of thunder and I wandered home. I wasn't in any rush. I looked up at the sky and frowned as the first drops of rain splattered down onto my face. I shivered and shook my head furiously. Why did rain have to be so wet? As soon as I processed the thought, I felt a little stupid.

I quickened my pace, but I soon realised that my efforts would be in vain. The rain began to hammer against the floor around me, and soon it was so heavy that it was bouncing back up off the earth on impact. I groaned and pulled my jacket up over my hair.

“Of all the times, it had to be the day I washed my hair.” I muttered. Usually, I didn’t mind about my hair, but I hated that horrible itchy feeling the rainwater left on your head.

I broke into a run, splashing down the narrow country lane and wishing I had taken the car today. Shows what reward I got for trying to be eco-friendly!

Ah well. I thought to myself. Home soon. A nice warm bath wouldn’t go amiss now, and a cup of tea, perhaps …

As I adjusted my jacket, which was slipping off of my head as I ran, there was a strange crackling sound, and then a deafening bang, and I was suddenly flying through the air. I landed heavily, and for the split-second that I was still unsure of what had happened, I, for some reason, immediately thought that I had been shot.

Obviously, now I know that would be stupid. But if someone had told me I would be killed by a bolt of lightning, I would have laughed in their faces. I mean, I’ve lived here for years and we always get thunderstorms, and not once as anything been hit, not even a tree.

But now I realised I had been stupid. Just because it doesn’t usually happen doesn’t mean that it won’t happen, and nothing brought that home like lying there on the cold, wet ground, listening to the rain drumming around me. I knew I was in a bad way – I couldn’t feel the entire left side of my body. All I could do was look up at the grey swirling clouds above me, still striking down their angry bolts of bright light.

Things were starting to go hazy. I was confused, wondering why I would die now, even though I had survived the initial strike. Surely if my heart was going to pack in, it would have done so then? Obviously, I was mistaken once more, because things were going dark quickly, and I didn’t want them to.

I no longer knew if it was just rain on my face or tears, because I didn’t want to die. I wasn’t ready to die. Never before had I loved that country lane like I did now, with its fresh smell and its vivid colours, and even the grey rainy sky held beauty which I had never seen before. To know that it was going to be my last sight in this world was heartbreaking. I wished someone was with me, and I wished I could say so much to so many people.

It’s funny, the things you think in situations like this, isn’t it? There wasn’t much I didn’t think about, and when you keep in mind that all these events happened within seconds of one another, it’s quite an impressive feat. I managed to think about my friends and family and how much I would miss them. I managed to worry about if someone would feed the cat I was looking after for a friend while she was away. I thought of all the things I’d done and, even more distressing, all the things I hadn’t, and, finally, I worried over the fact that my underwear wasn’t matching.

And then, with the rain drumming around me and the rumble of thunder starting to fade, I decided that I’d best get on my way. Where to, I didn’t really know, but then, who does?

I sighed weakly, everything becoming duller. The sights, the smells, the sounds. As I lay there, the storm ended, and the grey clouds began drifting away. Drifting away a little like I was, I suppose.

The weather had cleared, and I was lucky to get one last glimpse of the sun. It had never looked so beautiful.