Flash and Bang

As Oto walked down the hall of his familial summer beach house, he listened to the sound of heavy rain beating against the window. A flash of lightning illuminated the world beyond, revealing crashing waves. Turbulent seas were overshadowed by thick, rolling storm clouds as the thunder arrived in force. The windows rattled angrily in response as the sound of nature's fury filled the dimly lit passage.

“Storm cookies. Storm cookies.” Oto hummed to himself happily.

Once, when he was a child, he had been afraid of the summer storms that regularly crashed against the cliffs of the villa and the shores of the beach house. Then, one stormy evening in his youth, Giles whipped up a magical batch of cookies and told Oto that if he ate them, nothing bad would ever come to him in the storm. In an instant, his fears disappeared, and since that day, he had never been afraid of the storms.

Thus, whenever a storm approached, Giles always made a fresh batch of Oto's favourite cookies. And even though Oto knew that there was no such thing as magic, the fond memory and delicious flavours of the fresh cookies continued to bring him comfort.

“Delicious storm cookies,” He continued to hum, shoving another snickerdoodle from the plate into his mouth. “On the darkest night, they fill you with delight.”

Rounding a corner towards the bedroom wing, another flash of lightning, followed by a distant boom, cut the power to the house. The blinding white glow from behind illuminated the hall as thunder shook the house. And with that, a terrified, albeit stifled, scream came from one of the rooms. Oto froze his head, shifting to the nearest set of doors, immediately recognizing the unfamiliar cry as Hayami’s.

“Oh no,” He whispered, looking down at the darkened plate of cookies in his hand.

His heart raced as the rusty cogs of his brain turned, and he began to piece together what was happening.

“She must have realized I didn’t bring her storm cookies. Maybe if I—”

Another flash of lightning lit the world as more thunder rattled around him. Then Hayami’s cries split the air once more. In an instant, the boy knew that her screams were not of anger, but terror.

“Hayami!” Oto cried out, dropping the plate.

The cookies spilled across the floor as the porcelain shattered into fragmented shards. The sharpened edges cut against the Oto's bare feet and legs as he raced towards the girl’s door, but he ignored the pain as he flung the barrier open and pushed his way into the room.

“Hayami, are you okay?”

As the lightning flashed once more, the dark room was illuminated. He saw her only for a moment as the lump under the covers where she hid, her body as small as she could make it. Thunder clapped, and she shrieked again, the covers trembling.

Oto instinctively rushed forward to the edge of the bed. Not thinking he reached out and touched the shaking sheets. Immediately, the covers flailed in the darkness, whipping like an angered phantom.

“Leave me alone!” Hayami screamed, her body pulling away from Oto’s touch.

She slapped blindly into the darkness, striking his hand with enough force to send it back to his side. But even at that, Oto did not retreat.

“Hayami? Hayami! What’s going on? Are you okay? Are-are you hurt?”

“I said leave! Don’t make me hurt—” The flash of light revealed her once more.

She had sat up on the mattress, looking his way with an agonizing stare. Reddened eyes and tear-drenched cheeks faced him in the moments before she released another scream. Then darkness retook the space.

Oto listened as she threw herself back under the covers, as the thunder rattled the house again.

“Leave. Leave. Leave.” She whimpered. “Just leave. Go away, Oto. You dumb idiot. Leave!”

The words hurt the boy, as they always did when she spoke them, but he stood firm at the edge of the bed without dispute. Unwilling to leave her side without an answer, he instead sat on the bed beside her. With a gentle touch, he reached out once more, placing a concerned hand on her side.

“Hayami, speak to me. Tell me what is going on? Let me help you.”

“No. No. No. No. No.” Her voice trembled weakly. “Just leave me, Oto. Please, leave. I don’t want you to see—”

The world was bathed in momentary light, allowing him to see her once more. Her head poked from the sheets and looked up at him. In that instant, his heart broke in ways he never knew another person could cause.

Oto had been hurt by others before. Their words and actions had cut him deep. But never before had he seen someone so weak and terrified that it made him feel sad. Hayami, the strongest person he had ever met, the person he loved, looked up at him with such terror in her gaze that the very thought of leaving her side seemed impossible.

As the thunder rolled through the space again and Hayami whimpered in response, it suddenly made sense to him.

“Hayami,” He spoke softly. “A-are you afraid of the thunder?”

There was no reply, only the sound of whimpers giving way to tears, then sobs. Patting at the bed furiously, Oto searched for her body, finding arms and then shoulders and eventually her head. With a soft tug, he pulled Hayami’s wet cheeks into his chest and felt as the sobs she released caused her body to heave against him.

She released her grip on his robe, pulling away as another flash and roll of thunder filled the space. That was when another thought came to him.

“The cookies!” He exclaimed. “Hayami, I have magic cookies. They ward off lightning and thunder. Let—Let me get them.”

Standing from the bed, Oto began towards the door where the shattered plate and cookies had fallen to the floor. But he wouldn't make it more than a foot from the bed as Hayami’s trembling hand reached out, grabbing hold of the elbow of his silken robe.

“No,” Hayami spoke softly, quieter than Oto had ever heard, and with her voice only a whisper as she continued. “P-Please stay.”

“I—” Oto looked between Hayami and the cookies.

Oto knew the cookies weren’t really magical and assumed that Hayami would know that too. But it still took him a moment to decide which of the two options before him was more important. It wasn’t until another flash and bang that he felt Hayami’s trembling hands grip tightly around his elbow that he made up his mind.

Sitting back on the mattress, Hayami scooted herself over to make room. Awkwardly, he waited for her to make the next move, his racing heart almost as loud in his ears as the rain splashing against the room's skylight. Finally, reaching an arm out, he wrapped his hand over Hayami’s shoulder and pulled her close.

With a deep inhale, Oto caught the scent of Hayami’s hair as he rested his cheek against the top of her head. Cradling her with his other arm, he held her close to him as another flash of lightning and rumble of thunder shook the room. But this time, she didn’t scream or whimper. Instead, she flinched deeper into his embrace, a feeling that made his heart race.

“Oto,” She spoke softly, her head pressed against his chest.

“Yes, Hayami?” He replied, his lips brushing the top of her head while trying to keep his still tender nose from getting too close to the top of her scalp.

“Your heart,” Hayami continued, rubbing her cheek to his chest as a hand reached up and touched the opposite pec. “It’s beating so fast.”

“Ooh, well-I-you see—” He struggled, not wanting to admit how much he enjoyed that he was getting to hold her. “I was—you see, I was worried about you. That you were hurt, or something…”

“I feel much better now,” She spoke, her body relaxing into him with a sleepy breath. “So don’t worry, okay?”

"Okay." He whispered.

They remained like this for a while as the lightning and thunder continued, washing over the dark house. But with every passing moment that Oto gently stroked at her gorgeous hair and soft arms, Hayami became more relaxed until she eventually stopped reacting to the weather entirely. And, once the storm moved on and the world became quiet again, they both slipped into a restful sleep in each other’s embrace.