Adam opened his eyes to find complete darkness around him. But it was not so. He could see his room in a kind of semi dark stage. Little light from the window helped him.
FOR HOW LONG HAVE I BEEN SLEEPING? He didn't intend to sleep for so long. IT MIGHT BE SIX THIRTY NOW. He tried to switch on the light but there was no electricity. He only noticed then that he was sweating. He woke up because of the heat. He took his wrist watch from the table with some difficulty. The table was a mess as it always was. He pressed the light button and the light green light showed him it was 4:20 pm.
AT4.20, THE WORLD IS COVERED IN DARKNESS? WHAT'S HAPPENING OUT THERE? He moved the curtain and looked out through the window. The obstacle for the sunlight to reach the earth was clouds. Dark, rainy clouds. Adam stood there, in shock, or fear, for a few moments. He realized he had woken up into his worst nightmare. Lightning. Thunder.
Even though the first drop of the rain had not dropped on the ground, his imagination flew beyond the clouds. Fear fled all over his body in a second. THIS IS NOT HAPPENING, WHAT WILL I DO? He was never alone during a thunderstorm. He was never even alone when the rain was lightest.
He couldn't do anything else, he just sat on his bed with legs folded. SHOULDN'T TOUCH THE GROUND DURING LIGHTNING. Just sitting there, all dreadful thoughts crisscrossed his mind. WHAT IF A LIGHTNING STRUCK THE HOUSE? WHAT IF THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE? The mere thought of a flash of lightning sent shivers down his spine. I CAN'T GO TO IAN'S HOUSE EITHER. Even if there were people in his house, he went to his cousin Ian's house when there was rain, usually taking his parents with him. The more the people, the better. The more the people, the less chance of a lightning strike. It was one of his notions to ease his fear.
WHAT IF A CALL CAME DURING THE THUNDERSTORM? THE PHONE MIGHT EXPLODE. He took the phone as fast as he could from the table and switched it off. FLASH! a lightning flashed, and although the lightning was not as strong, the suddenness caused him to throw the phone and it almost hit the wall. The phone was now on the floor and he couldn't dare to pick it up. DON'T TOUCH THE GROUND. But fortunately he had switched it off by then.
It's beginning, the light was farther away than he expected because the thunder came after a long time. He knew the farther the lightning, the more time it took thunder to erupt. He couldn't get off the bed. New and darker thoughts began sprouting in his mind. He couldn't control it. The second lightning lit the world around him. He couldn't take it anymore. He tucked his head under the pillow. IT'S BETTER NOT TO SEE THE LIGHTNING. Pressed the pillow hard around his ears. BETTER NOT TO HEAR ANYTHING EITHER.
The darkness was the whole problem. It made the lightning kind of more visible. IT'S GOING TO STRIKE ME. The thought just kept on repeating in his mind. Rain started. His whole body was covered in sweat by now. IT'S HARD TO BREATHE UNDER THE PILLOW, BUT IT'S HARDER TO LET GO OF THE PILLOW. A bigger thunder erupted in the atmosphere. He didn't see the lightning. But he could feel the effect of the thunder. Now there was no chance for him to come out of the pillow.
He couldn't think this was happening. His parents went for a function. The problem was that Ian and his parents went with them too. Now he couldn't go to any other neighbors', because it had already begun and he couldn't get off the bed. Everyone made fun of him always. But for a person dealing with astraphobia, it was an entirely different thing. The next thunder shook the earth. He couldn't see the lightning, but he could hear the thunder even through the pillow, and definitely could feel it, and he knew the lightning was getting stronger.
Rain was becoming heavier. It was a downpour. Raindrops spattered over the window continuously. He still kept his head under the pillow. Amidst the chaos around and the even louder chaos inside his mind, he heard the faint sound of a car horn. He lifted his head. Now he could hear the sound of the rain clearly. The rain was louder than he expected. DID I REALLY HEAR THE CAR HORN? OR WAS IT JUST ANOTHER OF MY IMAGINATION? FLASH! The lightning blinded him. The thunder came at the same moment.
