Storm Clouds

Chapter 1

John and Gale were watching the Storm roll in off the Pacific Ocean from their favorite diner in Seaside. As the lightning flashed John turned to say hello to Terry there waitress, and longtime friend of Gales. "Hey you two" Terry said with a smile. "I haven't seen you in here for quite a bit, where you been hiding?" she asked. "We been on a vacation so to speak" replied John, looking over at gale who was trying to hide her blushing face. "Yeah a strange vacation" said Gale. John sat there looking over at Gale from across the table wondering how they were going to explain what had just happened to them after being gone for 2 weeks. I mean after all they had only moved to Oregon a couple of months ago, due to a death in Gale's family. "Maybe later this evening we can get together at your place and tell you all about our adventure." Gale said as she slowly opened her menu to glance through it, but already knowing she was going to order her usual dinner. Terry quickly pulled the menu out of Gales hands and said "I already know you are going to order your usual." Gale blushed again and turned her head to look back over the ocean, the waves crashing harshly and sharp against the beach.

Terry walked into the kitchen and gave the cook their order and walked back to the table with some drinks, sat down next to Gale and said "I'm off in 2 hours if you guys want to come over, I have the house to myself tonight as the kids are on a camping trip with their father. "Sounds good" both John and Gale said simultaneously as if ready each other's minds. John slowly looked around the diner and noticed that they were the only 2 customers in the place. "Slow night tonight?" John asked. "It's usually a lot busier than this, but when a storm like this one roles in, everybody usually stay indoors. We will get a few tourists that will come in and maybe sip on some coffee and order pie, just to watch the waves and the lightning as it gets closer to the shore line." Terry responded. She turned her head to look out the window noticing how dark the sky is getting. It was bright and sunny just an hour ago, but now the thick dark clouds covering the horizon, 3pm in the afternoon now looks like 11pm at night. Just then a few tourists entered the diner. Terry excused herself from the booth and walked towards the entrance to greet the new customers, and looked back at them and said "so are we meeting at my place after work?" John and Gale both nodded yes. "Cool just wait for me here, I should be off by the time you are done eating and we can just go straight there." "Sounds good to me" John said.

John looked around the diner. It was a small place, seats maybe 50 people. Settled on the Boardwalk in Seaside, Oregon. The diner was built in the late 80's by Terry's father who at that time always wondered why there were no real diners anywhere in this tourist trap of a town. The walls inside the diner were all made with wood from the Local Mill in Astoria. Adorned with pictures of the wildlife, native to the area, and rustic tools that the local fishermen and loggers used back in the early days of Seaside's life. The North wall of the diner, where the entrance was, is covered with pictures of customers from almost every state, that came in and celebrated birthdays, or anniversaries and the like. The South wall had a huge Wood burning fireplace, which due to safety reason had been converted to gas. The flames where just barely going, but enough, to make them dance like faeries in the night sky. The East wall of the diner housed the kitchen where all the wonderful food was made. Just in from of the kitchen was the bar in which a few drunken businessmen were trying to discuss the future state of our world and where thing were supposedly headed if our newly elected president got his head out of his ass. The West wall, mostly glass looked out at the Pacific Ocean and all its glory. You could see every wave crest and crash from the window seats. During the tourist season you can hear all the oohs and awes from onlookers while they eat.

After they ate dinner and sat there watching the storm rolling closer in, John, Gale and Terry left the diner and headed straight to Terry's house. The rain had started falling when they were finishing up their meal and the roads were pretty wet, the rain falling harder now, it was hard to see out the window even with the wipers running at full speed. John was making sure not to follow too closely behind Terry to avoid any possibility of getting into an accident. The weather man on the radio was saying this storm was probably the biggest one on the season so far, and the rain would be pretty heavy at times and the wind would probably be picking up by late evening. John turned to Gale and asked "Are you sure she is ready to be told what is going on?" "She has to be told" Gale responded. "She plays an important role in everything that is going to be happening from here on out." John just nodded. "I guess you're right, it doesn't matter if we tell her now or later, she needs to know." They spent the rest of the drive in silence both wondering how well Terry would take to the news of their adventure and if she would think they are both crazy.