Storm Chasers

Another non-fiction writing course composition. This project was a revision of the manifesto we did a while back. (http://shaneenstravels.blogspot.ca/2016/01/new-year-new-adventures.html)

This is based on a true story - one of the greatest nights I've spent with some of my best friends. The night we chased the storm.

The Greatest Adventure Story

The night was enticing and full of potential. A storm raged outside, a call to the heart of an adventurer.  However, the young band of heroes curled up safe and dry in their lair, where the sounds of the wind and rain could not reach them.  The adventurers were taking a night off of their usual daring deeds, choosing instead to idly watch the night pass them by.

            The hero of a great adventure story must be more interested in experiencing life than they are in merely passing the time.  Excitement comes far more easily and frequently to the active adventurer than the apathetic procrastinator.

            The adventurers were settled comfortably, unconcerned with the goings-on of the outside world.  Content to be hidden away, they ignored the potential exploits awaiting them.  They were completely unaware of the adventure that was about to come knocking at their door.

            Great adventure stories don’t take place in the hero’s hideaway; they are set out in the wild, where anything could happen.  When adventure comes calling, the hero must be willing to step outside the guarantee of safety into the possibility of danger.

            The heroes were at the beginning of a new chapter together, stuck in a rut between adventures.  Instead of pursuing a thrilling plot, though, they foolishly waited for adventure to come to them.  Luckily, the stars were on their side that night, and adventure did come.

            Sometimes a little deus ex machina is required to get the hero started on their adventure, though they still have the choice to take the chance.  They should definitely take that chance.

            An urgent message was delivered to one of the young adventurers, which he immediately shared with his companions.  "Sir Hollands wishes us to accompany him on an epic quest!  Too long the storm has raged tonight unheeded.  It needs be observed!  Shall we join in the storm chase?"

            Spontaneity brings the best plot twists.  Spur of the moment ideas can be a stroke of genius.  Unexpected adventures are often the best kind.

            The adventurers enthusiastically agreed to the quest and set out immediately.  Thunder crashed loudly overhead and lightning flashed in the distance.  The heroes were nearly drenched through in the rain as they boarded their accomplice's coach.  The rain on their skin and the assault of the thunder and lightning awoke their senses and excitement grew with each passing second as they readied themselves to head into the storm.

             A reluctant hero is still able to be included in an adventure story, but an exuberantly committed adventurer adds a lively energy to the escapade.  Adventures should be entered with all the excitement they call for.

            The adventurers crammed their damp bodies into the coach.  A musical score played in the background, setting the mood for the night's antics, consisting of many of the groups' old favourites that they belted out in unison.

            Epic stories are built around their brave league of adventurers.  Every hero needs his trusty sidekick.  Every band of travelers is incomplete without each member.  The heavy loads are lightened and the good times are brightened with friends.

            At last, the brave adventurers set out into the storm.  The rain pounded down on their coach and washed across the road.  Lightning flashed in the distance as they raced straight towards it.  Closer and closer they raced towards the storm.  The rain fell harder; the thunder boomed louder; the lightning flashed brighter.

            Great adventurers aren't afraid to take a risk.  The possibility of danger does not make a hero shy away from the certainty of exciting new experiences.  Not every adventure requires an element of life-threatening danger though.  Adventures can often be found in the little things. 

             The path of the adventurers stretched on, twisting and turning, always in the direction of the storm. No destination was in mind as they pursued the storm.  All they had was the journey, the chase.  They had been pursuing it for hours and still it showed no sign of letting up.  Each roll of thunder could be felt in their bones and each flash of lightning was more dazzling than the last.  The allure of the storm didn't diminish the more they saw - it only seemed to increase.

            The adventure story really isn’t about the end goal, but the journey the adventurers take along the way.  It’s important that the travelers don’t get so caught up in where they’re going, that they pay no attention to where they are.

This was the most beautiful storm the adventurers had ever had the pleasure of observing.  Extravagant bolts of lightning split across the entire sky, lighting up the pitch black like a flicker of daylight.  The jagged bolts crackled with bursts of electricity, moving with a life of their own across the heavens. 

Beauty can be found in each moment of every story.  Some moments are easier to find than others, but the beauty is always there to be discovered.  Awe-inspiring, impossible-to-ignore moments do appear in every grand adventure and leave the hero breathless.

            At last, in the early hours of the morning, when the sun rising above the horizon began to lend a pinkish hue to the sky, the storm ceased.  The adventure had been epic and the heroes were loathe for the night to end.  Postponing their return to home, they instead chose to celebrate their journey at the local tavern, over a hearty morning meal.  The adventurers marveled over the grace of the storm and rejoiced over the merriment of the night.

A good adventure story should make the hero, as well as the reader, feel - anticipation, excitement, nervousness, fear, triumph.  The best adventure stories are meaningful and memorable.  The best adventure stories mean something to you personally and stay with you your whole life.  The best adventure story is your own.

As the hero of your life, you are responsible for writing it to be the greatest adventure story of all time.  Assemble a band of companions around you and answer the call of the storm.

Nobody lives forever.  Everybody's gotta go sometime.  Whether it's a quiet passing in the night or a tragic accident, a welcome end to the stretched out years or the years being cut suddenly short, it is inevitable that the years will come to an end.  I know that sounds pretty morbid, but it's all a matter of perspective.  There is a choice.  A choice to live in fear of that end, attempting to postpone what is sure to come, or to live spurred on by that imminent deadline.  But as Natalie Babbitt said, "Do not fear death, but rather the unlived life.  You don't have to live forever.  You just have to live."

It's not about living long, but living well. 

Fear nothing but the unlived life.

It’s one of those cliché things that’s actually true.  You want to be lying on your death bed, loving the life that you lived.  So seize every moment.  You will always succeed at making your life a grand adventure story as long as you get out there and live it.