The clash of the titans

It was a drowsy, gloomy Sunday evening. As the clock struck five, my husband and I set out for a walk rather hesitantly. But once we had started, it all seemed quite typical until a couple of minutes. And then the action got triggered.

On the one hand, there was the overcast sky that was growing darker and ominous with every passing moment. On the other hand, there were intense gusts of wind rattling even the heaviest of trees. How compelling could it get when powerful forces of nature are at play — that was the mystery. 

Apparently, the anticipation was intensifying. With robust elements of nature all set to take on one another, it appeared like it would be a clash of the titans right away—heavy-laden murky clouds on the brink of an outpour versus brutal stormy winds.

Meanwhile, as the dust surged from the ground and a drizzle hit us from above, we had to seek some shelter. From beneath the cover of the portico of a neighbouring house, we could thoroughly witness the sequence of events firsthand. There was a sudden burst of downpour accompanied by a gust of whistling whirlwind that swept the rain away, although just for an instant. And then, again, there was a spurt of shower followed by a blast of wind. 

Simultaneously, and at times alternatively, the rivals would keep gaining momentum. What surprised me was that both the rainfall and the winds sounded considerably similar.

As the face-off between the clouds and the winds lingered for a while, the suspense was building up as to which one would endure after all.

Sometime later, we could clearly see the dark clouds being swept out by the persistently harsh, blowing winds. So, eventually, the clouds had to give in. As we all know, both of them are equally efficient, and it could have gone either way. But for the time being, though, the winds had conquered the clouds. 

The skies above were clear again. All the prior gloominess was gone. The deserted streets were taken up by the people and vehicles again. Within a matter of minutes, it was all over.

After witnessing the dramatic clash of the titans live, we marched ahead to accomplish our daily dose of steps. As the sky turned brighter and the breeze was much gentler, I wondered as to how many different faces Mother Nature has and how often and how easily they could change that too in such a short span of time.