The Wind Caller 3rd Place The Sandbox

3rd Place, Show of Your Best at the Sandbox, Nov/Dec 2011 for your story, "The Wind Caller"

With terror-filled eyes Sergeant Palmer was glued to his monitor, unable to tear himself away from the devastation he was witnessing. The latest weather crisis was playing out in front of him as he sat at Miami headquarters, stunned and unable to move.

"Sir, will you look at this?" The sergeant's face was pale. His voice trembled with fear. "It's a category nine hurricane approaching the Eastern seaboard!"

Colonel Roles stood up abruptly. His startled eyes peered over gold-rimmed glasses.The sun's reflection danced on his gold buttons. He tugged at his uniform and then ran his fingers nervously through his gray hair. He almost dropped his cup of coffee, on the desk, as he walked over to where the sergeant was sitting.

"Do you know what you're saying? It's impossible.There's never been a category nine hurricane."

"Well, there is now," Palmer almost shouted. "There are three hurricanes in the middle of the Atlantic, and they've a combined wind velocity of 200- miles- an hour.  Look at the screen, sir.  It's heading our way."

Colonel Roles felt the blood drain from his face as he looked at the monitor.

'It can't be!  It can't be!  Winds at that speed would destroy the entire Eastern seaboard," he exclaimed. The colonel began to wring his hands and started to pace around the room in uncontrollable distress. "God help us all," he murmured.
                                         
"Sir, I've an idea that may not be realistic, but it might work."

"Speak up, sergeant!  According to the hurricane’s movement, we have five days before it reaches our shores.”

Sergeant Palmer hesitated.

"Come on, out with it. What's your idea?" the colonel shouted.

"Do you remember, sir when I told you, I had a friend  who has incredible abilities with animals and nature?"

"Get to the point, sergeant. What are you trying to tell me?”

"Well sir, I think my friend could stop the hurricane by calling to it."

"Are you insane? You believe your friend can stop 200- mile- an- hour winds by calling to them."

No sooner had Colonel Roles finished speaking, then another military officer entered the room.  He saluted the Colonel.

"I am Squadron Leader Captain Roberts, sir.  I am here to report what has happened in the last twenty- four hours since Hurricane Mariah started to form."

"Okay, Captain, what the hell is going on?”

"Well sir, the President has given his authority that all the Eastern seaboard states are to evacuate immediately.  All cruise, fishing, motorboats and other sea vessels have been ordered to dock.  All commercial flights in and out have been cancelled. The Air Force is planning a squadron of DC 8's to try to fly through the eye of the hurricane once it reaches its full formation.  That’s all the information I have for now." Captain Roberts cupped his chin and paused for a moment. "Uh, may I speak freely, sir?”

"Yes, yes, Roberts. What is it?"

"I read about a prophecy saying this would happen in December, 2012 when the sun reversed its polarity, and now we are starting to see the effect it is having on the climate.”

The colonel stared into space pondering this new information
.
Roberts interrupted, "May I have your permission to return to the Air Force base sir? I will be leading the DC8
squadron."

"Yes, Captain, you're dismissed, and may God be with you.”
Roberts saluted and left.

The Colonel stood there.  His face flushed and his body trembled in utter disbelief. Thoughts of uncertainty raced through his mind.  Should he trust Palmer and have him contact the Indian wind caller, or place his faith in God? Time was running out!  What should he do? What little faith, he had was fading.

Sergeant Palmer hurriedly approached the Colonel with a beam of hope in his eyes.

"Colonel Roles! Colonel Roles! I managed getting hold of him," he said excitedly.

"Slow down, sergeant. Get hold of who? Who are you talking about?"

"I am talking about Nodin, my Indian friend," Palmer said.  "With your permission sir, I can have a jet pick him up in Arizona and fly him to the Eastern seaboard."

"Are you still talking about your wind caller friend?"

"Sir, I know it's hard to believe, but he has been gifted through his ancestor's spirits with wind calling and animal telepathy."

"I am sorry, sergeant, I have a hard time believing in such preposterous phenomena."

"Sir, will you give it some thought?”

"It would have to be the last alternative, before I would ask for help from someone who calls the wind.”

Colonel Roles walked slowly back to his desk, sat down and stared aimlessly out the window.

Two days passed, and the news was not getting any better. Hurricane Mariah had gotten closer to the shore.  Waves in the Atlantic were cresting at 20 feet . The wind's velocity was being tracked at 200 miles an hour.  People were rioting in the supermarkets over food shortages.

Later that evening Colonel Roles knew he had to make a decision soon!  He walked the floor of his apartment in such anxiety, beads of sweat poured from his brow and a lump formed in his throat. His mind was tormented with questions that he couldn’t answer. Time was running out and he couldn't wait any longer. The next day he approached Palmer apprehensively.

"Sergeant Palmer, can you still reach your friend who calls the wind?"

"Are you serious, Colonel Roles?"

"We are desperate sergeant; as crazy as it sounds, we need your friend's help. We have to do something!"

"Just give the order sir, and I'll have a jet dispatched immediately to bring Nodin to the Eastern seaboard."

"Please hurry, sergeant!"

Palmer reached for his cell phone to call Nodin, and there was no answer.
"Why isn't he answering his phone?  I have to reach him.  Oh no! He must have turned it off," he thought.

A few minutes passed, still no answer. Palmer's heart pounded against his chest. He called again, letting the phone ring.

Nodin grabbed his blue jeans, sweat shirt. and braided his long hair. He dressed quickly to go on a hunt for rabbits with his friends.  As he loaded the truck with his hunting gear, a strong wind gust almost knocked him over. He stopped for a moment and sensed something was wrong and closed his eyes and saw the impending disaster about to happen.  Bridges were flattened and tall buildings were leveled like Lego pieces. 

On his way to the pickup, he spotted a wolf staring at him from the edge of a cliff. Mesmerized by the animal, he thought he heard his name being called.  He pulled out his phone to call his friend Palmer, when his phone began to ring.  It was Palmer. Nodin told him what he had seen in his vision and offered to help.

"Sir, I talked to Nodin about helping us and told him the pilot is on his way to transport him to the Eastern coast. We have to sit tight and pray that he can communicate with the wind to go back to the middle of the ocean."

The first day went by, and Nodin didn't call. Then, another day passed, and he didn't call. The hurricane was gaining strength and making its way toward the shore. The colonel started to question the sergeant frantically.

"Well, Sergeant Palmer, why hasn't he called? Where is he? What's going on?"

"I don't know sir. The last time I spoke to him, I told him the pilot was picking up and bringing him to the shore."

Finally, 24 hrs. later, Nodin contacted Palmer.  He told him that they had an emergency landing, and that the plane was having mechanical problems, and he would call him when he reached the coast .

Eight hours went by. Nodin called Sergeant Palmer. He had arrived and was on the Eastern shore and was preparing for the "Wind Calling Ceremony."  Nodin also noticed tree branches flying through the air smashing cars like toys, also boats overturned and half sunken. He told the Sergeant that television news broadcasters were filming and streaming live online.

"Sir, Nodin has arrived at the Eastern coast and right now he is standing on the shore ready to call the wind. We can watch him on LiveBroadCast.com."

"Who leaked this story? Well, we can't do anything about it now. We might as well watch it."
   
"Pull up the website."

"I have it sir. There he is."

"I see him, but who are those other three, wearing head dresses with grey wolves standing behind them?"

"You can see them sir,? I am amazed. They're  his ancestors' spirits,sir, They are here to help him. Watch, sir. They're starting."

Nodin prepared for the ritual. He tied his long hair with white and grey owl feathers, pulled on deerskin moccasins to his hip and wrapped his ankle length black, yellow, and blue serape around his shoulders. As he reached for his turquoise beaded Indian rattles, the wind caught his wrap and pulled it off his back. His hair blew wildly around his weather beaten- face and dark eyes, as he barely stood against the fierce wind's current.  Regaining his strength he covered himself with the serape to protect his body from the ocean's spray. He grabbed the rattles and began to shake them, dancing and wailing with his ancestors while the wolves howled at the wind. 
   
"What does it mean? Yaponchaaaaa! Yaponchaaaaaaaa!"

"Sir, it's the Indian name for wind god.  They're wailing to the wind."

Colonel Roles and Sergeant Palmer stood shoulder to shoulder, watching in amazement as Nodin and his ancestors danced, shook rattles and called to the wind. This ceremony continued all day, and night until the next morning when the sun appeared in the sky. They saw Nodin's hair and owl feathers settle calmly on his shoulders, and the serape stop moving in the air. Trees and building debris that were carried by the ferocious wind fell gently to the ground, while the three ancestor images and wolves faded from sight.

The camera crew filmed the most incredible news they ever saw. They all stood there dumbfounded, as the approaching hurricane's wind began to turn north and go back to the Atlantic. 

Colonel Roles wiped away the tears from his eyes. He took a deep breath, regaining his composure. Now he realized there were mysteries in life that were unexplainable.  He turned to the sergeant grasping his hand tightly, and said.

"We all have been through one hell of a battle, sergeant!"

"If I hadn't listened to your request, the hurricane would have completely destroyed the coast. Thank you, sergeant. You made a believer out of me. I will never question the impossible again!"

As soon as the colonel spoke those words to Palmer, his phone rang. It was General White reporting that the sun's magnetic shift has pulled a small, inhabited planet from the galaxy to earth, and the military was starting an investigation on the nature of the aliens.

The Colonel and the sergeant were in shock! 

They both looked at each other and said, " Now, Who can we call?"
                                                           
                                               
                                                         
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