A summer’s breeze roams the heights; leaves are sailing upon the warm air and gently landing in my palm. The wind brings a sweet scent of blossoming flowers, but yet it does not feel like home. The flora is different here; neither the trees nor flowers bear the same sweet fragrance like those of Lórien or even Lindon. I dream of my home amongst the mallorn trees, whose mighty crowns gave us shelter from rain and storm; where golden flowers cover the tiny hills and ancient gardens, and where eagles make their nests and nurture their young, high upon the cliffs. The wind also brings a silent calmness, but not the one I crave; what is wrong I cannot tell, but it is neither welcoming, pleasant nor peaceful. With a sudden flash of thunder in the distance, the wind changes into something entirely different and my mind returns to the wilds of the Trollshaws.
The skies darken within minutes and the thunder roars in vicious rage; bolts of lightning strike down on the horizon and the rain pours down as if the Valar opened the heavens to wash away both good and evil alike. The voice of the wind has transformed into something horrible: it shrieks like a thousand merrevail trapped within a storm, and each of their voices is full of anguish and a longing for shelter and safety.
And in this very moment, I realize that I myself am trapped within the storm; alone, without shelter, safety or warmth. The heavy rain soaks my clothes and the thin cloak does not offer any shelter to speak of; there are numerous trees nearby but nothing that could shield me from this storm. I am trapped; a prisoner beneath the dark clouds and the walls that the wind has shaped around me, constantly tormented by the cold rain made from sharpened nails, and the sound of a thousand merrevail screaming as one. It goes on for hours and hours on end, and it feels like it will never, ever stop. But suddenly, there is a small glint of a star that finds a crack in the storm clouds, and for a small, brief moment it finds a way to reach down to me. And never have I seen a star shine so bright as this one does tonight, and even though the moment is over with the blink of an eye and the clouds once again obscure the star, I can feel a renewed strength within my heavy heart. As I start to walk off aimlessly in the storm, a pair of young deer is rushing past me, and their eyes carry the very same glint as the star, further inspiring me to push on. They stop beneath a tree nearby and stand very close to each other, as if they were protecting the other. Two young deer, a doe and a buck that stick together; always threatened by predators and hunters, and yet so innocent and with hearts shining as brightly as the sun; always are they caring for each other, even when times are at their darkest. We should all be more like them; shielding each other from predators, hunters and storms.
Then why aren’t we? It really should be the simplest thing in the world. But nothing is that simple; there are deep cracks separating many of us, cracks made of oaths, fear, loyalty, hate and even love; and with every step taken, we face a new barrier that must be overcome. The only way to beat them all is to beat them together, but how can we accomplish this, if we cannot even reach each other due to the massive cracks separating us in the first place?
I keep wandering on towards an unknown end, and eventually the storm wears off. The thunderous bolts of lightning slowly move on to another place and will eventually stop, and the hard rain slowly turns into sweet, tiny drops of purest water, meant for the poor and thirsty creatures and plants, for them to drink and live up again. A storm is not necessarily a bad thing; as well as it can be devastating, it can also cleanse out all the darkness surrounding us. “Fight fire with fire”, someone once said – and I believe there is a truth to that statement.
There must be a way to the point where we together can overcome everything in our path; by fighting fire with fire if need be. And we will find the way, together; even in the midst of the storm.
