The Nature of Love

——The inspiration for this story hit me on a trip to Delaware with my family. I was sitting in the backseat of my dad’s S.U.V., looking out the window listening to Enya. We were driving by a field, a really green field when I noticed an unusually low hanging cloud. It was the lowest I’d ever seen a cloud go and I wondered to myself why would a cloud travel this low? And, of course having a mind inclined to fantasy, I thought ‘love’.—

The cloud’s voice floated through the air as nothing more than a wisp declaring its unending love for the brilliant green earth below.

“I do so love you Barclay. I do not wish the wind, Gaoth, to carry me as much anymore since my eyes have seen you. I wish to stay by your side. Never have I seen a field that held such enlightening beauty. You hold the richness of the earth in yourself and you give life to such tremendous creations. The only comfort I am allowed is the hope that the wind will keep pushing me back to see you. I am allowed that comfort when Gaoth pushes me and then I am allowed relief when I see you again.”

It took a while but Finn, the airy cloud of bright white, stretched its tendrils toward the ground. It longed to touch that enchanting meadow that seemed so alive and full of serenity.

“And I you, Finn, with all my heart. So free you are. So pure and white. You roam the endlessness of beautiful blue skies with a careless disposition. You are able to let the wind carry you to far off places of enchantment while I am stuck here. The only comfort I get in having to stay in this one spot for all of earth’s ages is that I know I shall see you again.” Barclay confessed.

Likewise, the ground, Barclay, that life-giving blanket humans tread upon so carelessly, concentrated all the nutrients in one spot so that it might grow taller to reach that wonderfully puffy cloud.

They had been in love for centuries. They had officially lost count of how many, two hundred and six years ago. Although clouds and earth changed constantly throughout time these two had managed to remember and sense each other’s essence to find one another in the infinite expanse of rolling hills in Ireland.

Their personalities couldn’t be more different. There was the lofty softness and recklessness of Finn who had been named so by the gods who created it. Then there was Barclay, the field of rich ever-giving life that was perfectly content in its laziness.

But lately the countryside had been changing. Humans were coming in their monstrous machines determined to destroy. Finn didn’t know what these devices were called but knew what they were for having seen them in other parts of the beloved earth wreaking havoc. Large yellow and orange apparatus with vicious digging claws rolled around crushing everything the earth had worked so long and hard to create. They were decimation incarnate. Finn had seen the terror they brought to countless other fields far off in the world and had hoped it would never come to destroy its lovely Barclay.

The machines had begun to dig three days ago, and Barclay was in a state of distress. The human’s destructive machines bruised the beautiful shamrock green earth relentlessly, digging up Barclay without any knowledge of or regard to the pain they caused.

Only the elements could hear Barclay’s seemingly silent screams of agony. Every being of nature could hear Finn’s outrageous fury. The animals ran in fear and agony, not wanting to witness the chaos and pain of the ground yet again. Most humans would never hear this pain, never feel it, never come to the rescue; they had grown a veil over their eyes and ears. Nature had given up on man long ago.

Then the rain came. Finn turned a frightening shade of dark gray. And in its fury called upon Baisteach, the rain, to flood the sky with tears to accompany its misery. Unfortunately, Baisteach flooded Barclay too.

Gaoth the wind unleashed its anger and began swirling around the arrogant humans who meant to clear this field of Barclay for their own greedy purposes. Gaoth the wind had been around enough humans to know what was going on. The humans meant to settle here in houses that all looked the same. Little tin cans all in a row so lifeless and bland with flimsy aluminum siding Gaoth could so easily rip apart. It knew that Barclay would not die from this but the fate neither Barclay or Finn knew of was much worse. Barclay would hardly be living, suppressed beneath the humans. Constantly in excruciating pain, Barclay would be forced to hold their waste with no love or appreciation offered. Nor even acknowledgement of feelings or existence given. Gaoth was the messenger of Barclay and Finn and had heard all their words of endearment. Many a time the two had made the wind so inspired by carrying their words that it had to call upon Baisteach the rain to give water for tears.

The humans had to leave for the day once it started raining heavily. They were unable to carry out their duties thanks to Baisteach. No one was more relieved than Barclay. The ground sighed and groaned as it settled back into itself. Barclay looked up to see its love, dark and looming. Once again Finn reached out its weightless tendrils to try to touch its beloved ground. Barclay strained to grow but under the circumstances was unable to move. Now Baisteach let it all loose, there was plenty of sorrow around for the accompanying downfall of tears. Finn was furious and decided that it would never let this happen again. That dark ominous night gave birth to vengeance.

The sun was a cheery bright yellow and the sky a serene sea of blue the next day. The unsuspecting humans came back to a beautiful field no worse for wear. But underneath the relaxed environment there was a storm brewing.

As soon as the humans fired up the machinery, Gaoth unleashed a mighty tempest that blew the humans sun-colored hats right off like discarded eggshells. Most of the humans tried to ignore the wind but others ran into the shelter of their machines. Gaoth suddenly stopped. The humans looked around curiously and some tilted their heads out of their windows cautiously. It was Baisteach’s turn now and it sent a downpour the magnitude of a waterfall. Hurriedly the humans tucked their heads into their machines and rolled the windows up while others ran to their smaller machines of conveyance.

Baisteach went on for a good hour before stopping. The humans trapped in their machines ventured out. Finn’s old friend Lucius the lightning decided to make an appearance for word travels far on the wind of Gaoth. The minute the curious humans stepped out a blinding flash of fury met them. The great lightning struck with such force that a piece of earth flew up into the air, but no one heard Barclays scream over the thunder.

There was frenzied shouting from all around the field as the humans tried to leave but Finn was too angry to let it go. It called on all its friends to come together in defiance to drive out the human threat.

Chaos filled the once cozy Irish country side as Lucius let off bolt after horrific bolt, shattering trees and upturning the field. Baisteach brought the waterfall once again, drowning out the screams of the humans. Gaoth turned Baisteach’s water into tiny

waterspouts with its power. Soon the storm grew to immense proportions. The humans slipped and fell on the water slicked grass and mud. Lucius struck men without remorse, killing a few. Gaoth turned its fury into a formidable tornado that left the land in ruins. By the time the funnel dissipated most of the humans had either perished, been injured, or fled never to return.

The elements remained watchful and brooded over the forbidding scene as other humans seemed to come to their rescue. They did not stay long after removing the bodies, for fear of the impending storm they sensed. As soon as all the humans left, the sky cleared and the sun came pouring in shedding a blinding light on the unbearable sight below.

Barclay was completely destroyed. All the lightning had dug up the ground, the rain water had washed it away and the wind had cut away all the luxuriant green. Barclay was no more. No matter how Finn yelled and stretched to touch its beloved there was no answer. There was nothing left of Barclay except raw inflamed earth and dark brown slop.

Lucius, Baisteach and Gaoth, realizing what they had done, set upon each other the blame and left Finn, too ashamed to offer their sympathies.

Finn did not blame them. There was nothing left to be done.

The sad, lonely cloud stayed by Barclay’s side for days which turned into months and years but there was no change. Without friends and its precious green earth below Finn was lost.

One particularly lonesome day, after calling repeatedly to its love and not being able to cry because of Baisteachs absence, Finn decided to end its misery and dissipated into the air. There was no use in existing if not with Barclay, the whole reason for its being.

Olive leaves turned to russet as they fell helplessly from nearby oaks. Cold unforgiving snow came to rest again on the barren ground that once was Barclay. Many winters passed and each year the snow’s cleansing time came to an end, melting into Barclay giving it a tool for renewal. A different rain came early in spring and flowers sprang up amidst the green that had come creeping into Barclay. Barclay seemed once more alive with richness.

“Finn? Finn my cherished one, where are you? I’ve been calling out to you for months! My darling, I do not blame you for my violent destruction…please come back…I love you… my heart.” Barclay searched the skies frightened, breathless.

“Do you need rain for tears?”

“What? Where is Baisteach?”