Late Spring heat was building. Vapor clouds rose ominously from pavement in afternoon sun. There was an unusual amount of electricity in the air and birds darted nervously from tree to tree. A low rumbling from the gulf seemed to come from inside the earth, erupting in a slow, bass melody. It was unusually still, as if the world were waiting patiently for whatever it was to come.
Just another work day for Billy, sweat stained and somewhat headachey. He was hauling off construction debris from several work sites on the island to the county dump in Eastpoint. Although he was tired, he decided to go back for a fourth and final load. Sunlight played across the bay in never ending sparkles while seagulls flew overhead. It was late afternoon, muggy and languid. A line of dark clouds had appeared in the east and was fast approaching. By the time he was on the island bridge, wind had picked up considerably.
Then, it was on him. Rain in torrents, thick and furious. He kept going, thinking it was just a sudden squall. Progress was slow at this point, due to reduced visibility and the force of the wind. It caused the trailer to sway and it became hard to control the truck, but he hung on, gripping the wheel as tightly as possible. Slowed to a near standstill, he kept on, as there was no turning back at this point. His dog, Cuz next to him on the seat, sensed danger and crept as close to him as possible. Still, he kept going, knowing his fate was in the hands of nature, hoping this wasn’t a bridge into eternity.
All of a sudden, he was surrounded by incredible light! The brightest light he had ever seen! Around him, foamy sea water swirled and swirled, reflecting that light. And it was then he realized it was the sun, shining down through the middle of a waterspout, illuminating him as never before, blinding him with it’s intensity. The trailer tag flew upwards into the sky and he felt the front of the truck begin to lift. Then, it all stopped and he heard the most incredible sound - cracks so loud they seemed to pierce his ears. It was the sound of power poles breaking! The waterspout broke them like toothpicks, one by one, all across the bay. Power lines sizzled, then sunk into the depths.
A few cars that had stopped at the foot of the bridge began to make their way across as the waterspout snaked its way back up into the retreating clouds. Billy watched, fascinated, then began his journey again.
He was puzzled at how the trailer behind him seemed heavy and difficult to pull. It was empty when he left Eastpoint, now it seemed to be laden down again.
When he reached the island, he stopped at the Blue Store to see what was going on. Several cars pulled up behind him and some tourists got out. “We thought you were a goner when we saw that waterspout hit you!” one of them said. The rest agreed, expressing astonishment at how Billy and Cuz survived. And when he walked around to the trailer to see why it was so heavy, he found that it was filled to the top with water. Somehow, the spout had dumped enough rain into Billy’s trailer to weigh him down so that he was not lifted off into the sky!
After giving a silent prayer of thanks and bidding the tourists goodbye, he climbed back into the truck, headed to the job site for another load.
After all, it was just another work day, he thought, as he headed down the road to earn another day’s wages.
