A frightening experience in my life – an Open Speech
It was one of those days, humid and sweltering. I looked behind me; there were dark menacing-looking clouds and a stillness that preceded a storm. I looked at the swirling leaves on the roads and in the gutters and quickened my step home. Rain fell in big fat drops.
When I ran into the house, the wind was rattling the window frames and battering the roof. As I hastened to close the windows, I shivered at the sound of the howling wind. Suddenly, there was a loud crash. I jumped with fright as the front window panes were shattered. Rain lashed in. I quickly pushed the furniture next to the window to the other corner of the room.
Across the street, I saw the rain coming down like a great sheet and flinging itself upon the town. I stood dumbstruck and looked out at the street. Water was rising so fast and poured out of the drains into the street. Cars broke down and stalled, and, honking and hooting went on without stopping. A massive traffic jam would build up in just minutes.
Before I could close my ears to the ceaseless noise, there came a great din. The giant tembusu tree in front of my house had snapped. Another flash of lightning showed the angsana trees by the side of the street were uprooted. I was speechless with terror.
I raced upstairs to my room. It was in the nick of time. Thunder roared and lightning flashed and there was an outage. ‘Oh no!’ I wailed as I huddled under the blanket in total darkness, trembling with fear and cold, and waited for my parents to get home. I always had a horror of storms and this one showed Nature’s wrath.
As abruptly as it began, the freak storm ended. I crept out of bed and looked out of the window. The sight left me as shattered as the landscape. Branches and tree trunks were scattered to the left and right of the streets. There were giant craters where the trees were wrenched whole from the sidewalks.
The whole scene reminded me of one of those disaster movies. It would take all of us forever to clear the streets, the debris, and the trees. It had been the most frightening experience.
