Let The Storm Rage

This is not a ‘lightning flashed and the thunder roared’ kinda story although on this particular evening the lightning flashed and the thunder indeed roared, so bright and loud in fact we were all cowering and ready to get under the covers & stay there………..except that it wasn’t bed time so we decided to wait out this chaotic disturbance at our kitchen table with a cup of hot tea to sooth our hysteria. There you have it…………………the reason established for playing this foolish game.
Monopoly is not my favorite board game but it’s one we could all play; the youngest to the oldest of our clan. Standing as the banker was altogether too much responsibility for me on this particular evening under these particular circumstances (I just wanted to sit in a vegetative state until the storm passed) but the burden was imparted to me regardless of my wishes; they said I was the best choice for the job. All I really wanted was be out in my garden looking at the gorgeous rose blooms, smelling the delightful fragrance and just be able to enjoy the sunshine. Instead I was being frightened to death by this bloody storm, compelled to take part in this foolish game and to top it all, charged with being the keeper of the money; in a nutshell, how totally distasteful.
A large bowl of cherries, sitting just a stone’s throw away over on the kitchen counter, offered the one small ray of brilliance in this otherwise frightfully deplorable day. It is said chocolate can soothe many woes and cherries rank right up there with chocolate in my books. Even better would be chocolate AND cherries. Ahhhh, perhaps I could find some chocolate. As that thought passed among the many cynical ones afloat in my brain at the moment, the lights went out so I quickly went to the drawer where we kept the flashlight. Armed with light I was on a mission to find some chocolate. I searched every possible place chocolate could be hiding; I found none; I found not even one little scrap left over from Halloween. I was distressed so I returned to my seat in front of the silly game where a small battery operated lamp now lit our playing area; it was my turn and I begrudgingly shook the dice. I landed on the ‘go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200’ (you know the one) so it was off to jail with my little game piece and I was off in search again, of chocolate.
Down on my hands and knees I peered into the back of a lower cabinet and there I made the most delectable find ever…………a huge bag of chocolate covered almonds. Now we really had it all, cherries, chocolate AND nuts. Wooo hooo! This was going to save the day! As I was getting up from the floor, chocolate covered almonds in hand, I hit my head on the upper cupboard door I had mistakenly left ajar, which instantly restored me to my knees as stars swam about before my eyes and a grim ache in my head ensured I would remember this incident tomorrow. On the way back down I dropped the bag of chocolate covered almonds and listened to them go falling and rolling everywhere. Well I was not about to let this little accident stop me from my just discovered chocolate and additional bonus nuts; I would be down here with my little flash light searching out every lost chocolate covered almond, just as soon as my head cleared and the stars stopped twinkling.
Someone was calling me back to the game. It must be my turn again. Did I mention how much I really disliked this silly game? About the time I was deciding to get up from the floor there was the loudest clap of thunder I have ever heard and a scream to match from the area of table where the game was being played. Such a commotion! I was still on the floor and found out a short time later that Sarah had been startled by the thunder, jumped up, knocked a glass of water all over the game (money included) and across the table to run onto the lap of Jeremy who tipped over a chair as he hopped up when the water landed. Actually I stayed on the floor through all this because I was determined to have some chocolate and bonus nuts with my cherries. I was overjoyed after I had gathered up the chocolate covered almonds and got back to the table to find the game board and money drenched in water. Now we could clear the table, eat cherries and chocolate covered almonds until we burst. Let the storm rage.

(Saturday Writing Prompt (WFSC) October 16, 2010)