Norma's Clouds

Every night at midnight the purple clouds came out to dance with the blushing sky. No one else ever seemed to notice them, but they always mesmerized Norma. She would stare out the window at night and watch them in the pale light of the moon as they flitted around twisting into beautiful shapes reminiscent of powerful dragons, ships of exploration, majestic castles, graceful ballerinas, and a thousand other things. She imagined herself floating among the wispy formations flying on the back of a fire breathing beast, perched in the crow’s nest of a creaky wooden vessel, gazing out from the window of the tallest tower, spinning and leaping on her tippy toes, or embarking on many other adventures. She would whisper her gratitude to the clouds at night, grateful for the momentary escape from reality before drifting off to sleep where the purple clouds wrapped her in their comforting embrace and pulled her deeper into her imagination until morning.

As the sun dragged itself up the side of the tall red and white cliffs that stood vigil around the little farming community, it dragged Norma out of her dreams and back into the hard reality of life. Morning meant chores: collecting eggs, milking cows, cooking breakfast, packing lunches for Papa, Melba, and Buck, washing dishes, and tending the garden all before the sun got high enough in the sky to be unbearable. After lunch, Norma would help Mama finish the laundry or the sewing before baking the day’s bread and starting dinner. Despite being only nine, Mama relied heavily on Norma to help around the house so that Melba could help Papa run the store while Buck took the herd up to the top of the plateau to graze in the meadows where the sun warmed the soft grasses. Bunny and Laura helped too, but Bunny spent most of her time chasing their little brother Glade around the yard while Laura always seemed to figure out a way to disappear from the farm and end up wherever the local boys gathered.

Norma rarely had a chance to indulge in leisure pursuits, but often found time amongst her chores to look up at the billowing white shapes that dotted the blue sky. She preferred the purple clouds that came out at night, but their puffy white cousins brought a welcome reminder of the adventures she escaped into in the darkest hours. The white clouds lacked the nimbleness of the purple clouds; the huge lumbering shapes slowly slipped across the sky and rarely morphed into more than one image unlike the smaller purple wisps. On stormy days, Norma loved to peek up at the grumbling gray wall that rolled through to block out the yellow of the sun and the blue of the sky. They boiled and rolled, twisted and crackled with intense energy, ever changing like the midnight dancers. But those stormy clouds wrapped her in chilly coils unlike the warm comfort of her beloved purple clouds.

Norma never imagined the clouds held deeper secrets than her dreams, until the day she got lost. After finishing her bread and setting the table for dinner, Mama sent Norma to get Buck from the clifftop. Fetching Buck rivaled staring at the clouds as one of Norma’s most favorite things to do. She would run as fast as she could, let the wind blow through her curly brown hair, and lose herself in the moment. No work to be done, just a race to be won. She usually met Buck just as she reached the top of the steep rocky trail. He would flash his charming, dimpled smile with his sparkling blue eyes, swoop her up with his strong arms and perch her high on his shoulders. Then he carried her down the mountain side and regaled her with tall tales of his harrowing adventures warding wolves and cattle rustlers away from the herd.

But that day, as Norma ran up the switchback trail on the side of the cliff, the thunderous black clouds rolled lower and lower, faster and faster, meeting her long before she reached the top. Her worn shoes slipped on the wet rock and she struggled against the growing wind that tried to push her back down the mountain. Norma put her head down and pushed back against the gale, finally reaching the top of the cliff. She felt her heart fall slightly when she did not find Buck waiting there for her. The clouds had enveloped the clifftop in murky darkness making it impossible to see more than a few feet. She called for her brother and the wind stole her words, tearing them from her mouth and tossing them back over the side of the cliff. She pushed forward not wanting to follow her words over the edge. It had been light enough when she left that she had not considered the need for a candle or lantern. She would not make that mistake again. Norma refused to be afraid and pushed forward watching for familiar shapes looming around her. Her dress that Mama made from an old gunny sack the flour had come in offered no protection from the icy tendrils of the angry storm clouds. Norma refused to be weak and pushed forward as she rubbed her hands vigorously over her goose-bumped arms. Over and over she called for her brother, but the clouds shouted louder covering up any possible reply. Norma refused to give up and pushed forward determined to find Buck.

Lightning flashed and sizzled across the sky bathing Norma's surroundings in revelatory light. She spun in a circle, desperately looking for anything familiar, to no avail. She had been fooled by the devious dark clouds, led astray from the path she meant to follow. She had no hope of finding Buck, no hope of finding her way back home. She had no light, no blanket, no shelter from the storm. She realized that the moisture on her cheeks came from more than just the raindrops. She wished with all her heart that her beloved purple clouds would slip through and chase away the treacherous storm clouds.

Lightning flashed again revealing movement in the distance to her right. Whatever had moved had been different than the trees that bent low in worship of the storm or the boiling of the thunder clouds. This movement had seemed spry and cheerful and Norma felt drawn to it. Putting her head down against the rain that whipped about her, splattering her face so she could hardly open her eyes, she trudged toward the movement she had seen. As the lightning flashed a third time, she heard the thunder roll right over top of it and she realized the imminence of the danger that stalked her. Again she saw movement, closer this time, something purple appeared to be beckoning her to safety. She ran faster than she had ever run before. She slipped in the muddy grass and tumbled forward crashing down upon a sharp stone that bit a chunk out of her shin in fright. In a torn dress, covered in iron red mud, with her leg throbbing angrily, Norma scrambled as far as she could, half crawling, half stumbling, until she fell once more into the blood colored muck. Freezing, she could no longer feel her fingers or toes, as her whole body trembled uncontrollably. She tried to get up but found her frigid muscles no longer controllable.

Then she saw it not too far off, something violet galloping toward her. It appeared to be made of nothing more than mist, but the huge claws that wrapped gently around her felt solid enough as the creature lifted Norma from the ground. It emanated a pale lilac glow that illuminated their surroundings enough for Norma to just make out a small outcropping of rocks that they headed toward. The giant slabs of sandstone rested against each other creating a natural shelter from the storm into which the creature carried Norma and laid her gently on the dry red sand. It then wrapped its long, graceful body around her, sharing its warmth and chasing away the chill of the storm. A long forked magenta tongue slithered out between its jagged knife like teeth and licked the painful gash on her shin. Instantly, the throbbing subsided and the bleeding ebbed. Norma snuggled into the comforting embrace of the cloud dragon and drifted off to sleep.

"NORMA!" The shout of her name woke her with a start. Norma found herself alone. Darkness filled the small alcove but the sounds of the storm had been replaced by the peaceful chirping of crickets and the silence of night. Had she been dreaming or had she really heard someone shouting for her, she wondered. Buck answered her question when he again called her name, a hint of panic wrapping around the word. Norma tried to get up but as soon as she moved it the pain returned to her injured leg and she found it would not support her weight.

"I'm here, Buck!" She shouted weakly, hoping he could hear her strained voice. “In the rocks!”

She heard the sound of footsteps rushing toward her then Buck’s head peeked through the opening lit by the glow of a hurricane lantern. His apparent relief at finding her quickly evaporated as his eyes fell on her leg. He dropped to his knees at her side and cautiously touched it. Searing pain tore through Norma and she yelped in pain. In the warm glow of the lantern, Norma could now see that the leg had become swollen. Her skin burned an angry color redder than the streaks of dried blood and gobs of iron rich mud caked over her wound.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t waiting for you,” Buck’s voice cracked with emotion and his eyes glistened with tears. Norma wrapped her arms around his neck tightly and he lifted her gently from the ground, cradling her in his arms. Despite his attempt to be gentle, Norma nearly passed out from the pain. But she expected it this time and managed to keep from crying out.

There were no tall tales as Buck slowly made his way toward the trail home. Norma noticed the sky to the east gradually grew lighter as her brother held her tight and silently cried tears of relief, tears of worry, tears of regret. Before they got to the cliff’s edge, Norma again heard her name floating toward her on the wind, over and over, a variety of voices shouted for her.

“I’ve got her!” Buck’s call brought Papa, Melba, and a smattering of men Norma recognized from church rushing to their side. Several offered to carry her, but Buck refused to let go of his sister, insisting he carry her home. Instead, they raced ahead to summon the doctor to meet Norma at the house.

Upon examining her leg, the doctor proclaimed that the mud that had been caked on her wound might have saved her, without it, the gash had been long enough and deep enough that she might have lost too much blood before she had been found. Norma had to endure several hours of torture as the doctor cleaned the wound, set the fractured bone, sewed up the laceration, and wrapped the throbbing leg in a cast. Buck stayed by her side the entire time, holding her hand and apologizing over and over for letting her down. Finally, the Doctor left with instructions that Norma stay in bed for two weeks so her leg could heal.

The next several days the whole family acted differently. Laura stayed closer to home to help Mama in Norma’s place, though that meant the bread often burned and the weeds slowly started to overtake the garden. Glade spent most of his time watching Norma as though waiting for her to grow wings then would sneak up on her and poke her leg to make sure it still made her screech in pain. The upside, it freed Bunny up to help counteract Laura’s help in the kitchen. Buck brought home wildflower bouquets to brighten Norma’s room and sat at her side every night to share his stories. But Norma grew more and more restless, eager to get out of her bed and be able to do something productive again. Her days seemed to drag on endlessly, a different type of torture than she’d experienced at the hand of the doctor, but no less excruciating. Her only respite came at midnight when the purple clouds came out to dance with the blushing sky. They swooped down to her window and pulled her from the prison her bed had become, carrying her high into the warm summer sky to dance among the twinkling stars, sail through the velvet expanse of space, and ride on the back of her cloud dragon.

Eventually, Norma’s leg healed but life had changed forever. Glade lost interest in tormenting his older sister and started helping with gathering eggs and tending the garden. This freed Bunny up to continue helping Mama more. Laura still seemed to wander away but she waited until after lunch helping with more of the chores than before. Norma gladly returned to Mama’s side, helping with the chores she had found she missed so much, but found her help much less required than before. Mama and Papa must have noticed it too. That must be why they decided to send her away the following year.

When Mama and Papa came to her to tell her she would be going to live with her Grandma, Norma wanted to cry but she told herself to be brave. So Norma packed up her few belongings, hugged her sisters and brothers goodbye, and climbed into the back of Papa’s truck. The rough twisting roads jostled and bumped Norma until she felt sick to her stomach, but she told herself to be brave. The dusty drive lasted nearly half the day before they pulled into the drive of a stately two story farmhouse. At one time, it had been an elegant home, the envy of many in the area, but since Grandpa had passed it had slowly fallen into disrepair. Once full of life with children to spare, it now stood empty and hollow. Norma climbed from the back of the truck and told herself to be brave. Papa helped her carry in her things while Mama carried in an armload of groceries they brought from their store for Grandma. The diminutive woman who waited on the porch smiled warmly and waved as they approached. Norma saw Grandma on holidays a few times each year, but felt she had been abandoned with a stranger as Mama and Papa hugged her goodbye and climbed back into the truck. She watched the little green pick-up trundle down the dirt road and again told herself to be brave. She would not cry.

“Come, child,” Grandma beckoned. “I have sewing I need help with.”

Grandma led her into a room teeming with fabric and sat her down at a beautiful black sewing machine and handed her a skirt ready to be sewn. Norma placed the fabric on the machine and began pumping the pedals when Grandma reached over and stopped her. Patiently, she showed Norma how to sew correctly so the seams would hold tight and would not fray. Norma looked at her own dress, several seams were unraveling and she could clearly see that Grandma had a better technique.

The day progressed in much the same fashion. Norma learned she kneaded bread the wrong way, mixed pie crust too vigorously, washed dishes in the wrong temperature of water, ironed too quickly, and slouched too much. By the time Grandma finally led Norma up the rickety stairs to her new bedroom, the young girl felt hopelessly alone and inept. She told herself all day long she needed to be brave, but as soon as the bedroom door shut the tears poured from her eyes. She flopped onto the bed and cried for so long she did not realize it had gotten so late until a soft lilac glow illuminated her window. Just as they did every night at midnight, the purple clouds came out to dance with the blushing sky. But this time Norma did not have to watch them from afar. The clouds hovered just outside the bedroom window. She crossed the room and pushed open the windows to let in the ethereal creature. It swooped inside and rose to its full towering height, looking down at her with glowing amethyst eyes. The slim graceful creature wore billowing violet fabric draped elegantly over its shoulders and down to its bare feet. When it spread its arms wide the sleeves cascaded down to the floor before wrapping Norma up in a misty embrace. It began spinning faster and faster and faster, whirling about with Norma in its arms like a tornado creating an exhilarating sensation that made her laugh out loud joyfully. The spinning slowed and finally came to a stop. The creature spread open its arms releasing Norma.

They no longer stood in the upstairs bedroom though they remained in Grandma's house. Now Norma found herself in the front parlor. Grandma sat in the rocking chair in front of the window and stared out at the empty drive. Norma reached for her but her hand passed right through Grandma’s arm like a ghost. Norma looked to the creature beside her who just smiled and nodded reassuringly. Norma somehow understood the scene before them had occurred sometime in the past. With her misty friend by her side Norma watched hours pass with Grandma sitting and staring forlornly out the window getting up occasionally to start a task in the kitchen, garden, or sewing room that she quickly abandoned. Finally, Norma realized Grandma watched and waited not for someone to come but instead for death to come.

A neighbor stopped by one day to find out why Grandma had missed church and quickly became alarmed. The cloud creature draped its arms around Norma again and spun into an exhilarating whirlwind. When they came to a stop Norma found herself at Papa’s store where the concerned neighbor stood across the counter from Papa and Mama and recounted her worries. Norma listed as her parents considered their options of how they could help Grandma. As they considered each child, they quickly came up with reasons each would not be the best fit to give Grandma company and help her around the house, until they got to Norma. She would be helpful, doing more than her part to lighten Grandma’s load. She could learn from Grandma and help her find purpose in life again. Norma would offer company without being a burden.

The creature wrapped its arms about her one final time and they spun back through time and came to a stop inside Norma’s new bedroom. The young girl hugged the cloud creature in gratitude for helping her understand why her parents had sent her away. They sent her because they had faith in her. After that Norma saw her time with Grandma very differently. When Grandma corrected her and showed her how to do things differently, Norma knew it helped her feel useful. She grew close to Grandma, cherished their time together. A couple years later, Norma returned to her parents home along with Grandma. Grandma’s health had deteriorated to the point that she needed to move in with Mama and Papa where she later passed away peacefully in sleep.

Norma grew older, experienced more adventures, moved away from home, and got married. She continued to watch for her clouds each night, a reassurance that they still watched over her. There would be many times over the next several years that the clouds came to her aid when she needed them most. No one else ever seemed to notice them, no matter when or where they came. Each time they took a different form and helped in different ways, but she could always count on them to be there. They came to her aid when her daughter got lost in a busy marketplace pointing the way to find her baby girl. They stayed by her side offering comfort as she waited to go into surgery in the hospital. They swooped in to listen to her worries about raising headstrong teenagers. She welcomed their comfort as she mourned her granddaughter’s passing. They held her up when the physical toll of caring for her ailing husband became too much to bear. They filled her empty house with warm memories in her final years.

Then the night came that she could no longer go on. Multiple strokes had ravaged her body leaving her weak and unable to use anything on her right side. She felt more tired than she ever had before. Her daughter, Aimee, fussed about her, fluffing her pillow, pulling her blanket up around her shoulders, and holding her hand. Norma’s attention kept going to the window where the sky became darker and the stars blinked into existence. Never before had she longed so much to see her beloved clouds. Finally, at midnight the purple clouds came out to dance with the blushing sky. This time they morphed into a beautiful four masted ship that sailed down through the starry sky, the lavender sails full and billowing in the wind. Norma climbed from her bed and went to the open window. When the ship came to rest outside the house a purple wooden ramp lowered into the room. Norma happily stepped onto the ramp and climbed aboard, finding her useless limbs now worked as they should. She turned back to look at her room. Her daughter slumped sobbing over the bed where Norma had left her broken body behind. Her heart ached, torn between going back and moving on, but she felt a hand slip into hers and she turned back to see her husband at her side. He had also left his broken body behind and looked as young and handsome as the day they wed. Her heart swelled as she fell into his arms and the ship sailed gently up into the night sky carrying them away. One final look at the room she left behind and she could see Aimee surrounded by ethereal beings made of wispy blue clouds, there to comfort and protect her. The ship sailed past the windows of three other homes where she saw her three other children surrounded by their own protective clouds in orange, yellow, and pink, giving them solace in their moment of grief. Knowing her children would be watched over, Norma’s worries swept away. Her heart no longer torn, she turned her eyes to the great expanse of space and, with her love by her side, let her beloved purple clouds carry her off into eternity.