He loved what he did. Actually, he wasn’t exactly a he or a she…But he was definitely alive. He didn’t know that it was his job, imposed by the nature of his existence, nor he gave it much thought. Far from it that he wasn’t intelligent, though. He felt, and communicated. Danced in through the air of “New Earth”, unaware that those intelligent, optimistic beings who call themselves humans gave such a name for his home.
They appeared here recently, in their flying shelters. He couldn’t understand their language, but he could understand them. Those curious, excited, smiling people would perceive him every time he appeared, but wouldn’t say hello. Their happy children would hug him through their tiny fingers, but unlike him, they wouldn’t consider it a touch. Humans, I guess, didn’t think he had an intellect. Perhaps, an impenetrable communicational barrier. The wind would still cheer them though, every time he ran into them because they were his friends. He brought them warmth.
Sometimes days or weeks would pass until he paid another visit to bring his friends a cozy ‘hello’. They became very dear to him and he felt that he is there to protect them.
One afternoon, he was calmly circling around his usual route, graciously carrying warmth with his occurrence.
What he didn’t know though, was that he was the only one in his family with a pleasant attitude towards the newcomers.
The southern Wind of Dust threatened to drive the humans away from their Kingdom.
“I will greet them with such a storm, to ruin their clothes and upset their instruments, and then we’ll see what they feel like!”
“Why?”, the surprised, Wind of Warmth asked.
“Because they don’t belong here.” His brother, the Wind of Dust replied.
And then they would blow, each one in their own direction.
The Wind of Warmth got sad.
After a while, he met another one of his older brothers, The Northern, blowing from the lands of ice.
“Heh, heh… I will freeze them so hard, next time they close their eyes they will open them again!” he said, cold.
“Why?” asked the again disappointed, Wind of Warmth. “I know that we’re different… But no one deserves such fate, especially our guests.”
The Northern Wind said nothing and continued blowing, away.
Warmth’s mood took another hit by his brother’s words. They were indeed different, he was aware of that, but they used to make a good team. For millennia they did their jobs and grew together to support the harmony of life.
Maybe his older sister will have something to say. Anyhow, she was the most powerful of them all.
With an optimistic spirit, he was approaching her, The Storm.
I hope that she, as the oldest of us, will show reason, he thought.
Her dark clouds, flashes of lightning, and apocalyptic rains glimpsed upon the horizon. With a loud, thunderous laugh she approached her brother.
“Storm! Where are you going in such a hurry?”
“Out of the way. I have to finish something.”
“Why? Tell me, where are you going?”
“You know damn well where I’m going. I had a chat with your brothers and they tell me you have new friends. I say that they’re NOT welcome here.”
“Wait, why? They didn’t do anything! Is there not enough space here for all of us?”
“Do to the US? Nothing yet. Who knows what they did to the Winds and life from where they come from? If it’s so nice there, what are they doing here? Out of the way.” She shoved him.
The Storm wasn’t easy to convince. He didn’t know what to do, but he changed his direction and followed his sister.
“What are you doing, why are you following me? Have you finally come to reason and changed your mind?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t have to worry about a thing, we’ll destroy them. Leave everything to your brothers and I. You can watch.”
He stayed silent, disappointed in his siblings. But he followed The Storm.
It’s going to get nasty, he thought… He was sad.
Soon, they arrived near the people. There were his brothers, impatiently waiting for their sister to give orders. He shouldn’t be involved in this, of that he was aware. They will swallow him alive, which would additionally hurt his new friends.
The other Winds laughed, as he stood behind. Ignored, lonely.
Is everyone around me out of their minds?
He noticed the children running back to their shelters. Researchers packing their equipment. All of them felt something was wrong.
Then came dust. A curtain of sand, angrily tearing metal and cutting the skin.
„Enough!” ordered The Storm, after a while.
A spark of hope came over Wind of Warmth, but in vain.
“You will destroy their equipment, and I want to chase them away. They have to fly with something.”
The Dusty Wind, although a bit dissatisfied, calmed down. After he had his fun, it was The Cold Wind’s turn.
The Northern Wind brought white hell. Days, so cold they burn the skin, isolated the people and destroyed their morale.
Wind of Warmth had to distance himself too, for it was starting to hurt him as well. He couldn’t see what was happening to his friends, but he hoped that they were alright. If he could, he’d cry an ocean of tears.
“Enough!” ordered The Storm after a few days. But the Wind of Warmth recognized this voice.
“They wouldn’t leave. Wouldn’t give up and freeze. Looks like it’s time for me to have a little fun,” she said.
Then chaos erupted. The whole sky, engulfed by darkness. Screams of children, weeps of adults, strangled by loud thunder. Grass and meadows are flooded by angry water.
“My sister, what are you doing??” Warmth was shouting in vain, for she couldn’t hear him. Or wouldn’t listen.
“You’re destroying life on our planet, not just their own!”
Still no reaction from The Storm. Even his brothers got a little worried, but she only laughed.
Suddenly, a thought occurred
Could they be right? Maybe I should not love those people, too…. No, he snapped.
Then he noticed his brothers, suddenly started to run.
Where are they going? They have nowhere to leave. They’ll get swallowed by The Storm too.
Warmth was terrified, far from it that he wasn’t. He must disappear as well, or fight. He didn’t know how to, though. Only a strange feeling came over him.
I will fly… Fly upwards.
He never tried this before, he realized… He was only doing his job, the thing he always had to. Now he learned to follow his feelings.
And he flew away, toward the sky.
So fast, so high, that it might’ve been eternity or only a few moments.
Then everything calmed down and he opened his eyes.
He ended up somewhere, where at first glance there was only darkness, but the warm bodies of distant stars sent light. With the light, came color.
So many different, beautiful nuances.
Almost as if, because of his sister’s anger, he forgot what color is.
I remember now. All of us used to be The Wind of Color, and respected all life. I am not lonely nor weak anymore, for I am sure of my mission. And peaceful I will be, as long as I know that there are others like myself. Thank you, endless space.
Then he started descending back, faster and stronger than before, towards his now, younger sister.
He caught her off-guard and chased away her darkness with his rich colors. She quickly stopped rebelling, and together they went for their younger brothers.
The newcomers’ children, welcomed the blue sky with a smile. Parents, with relief, stepped on the grounds of New Earth again.
And once known as The Wind of Warmth, now joyfully danced upon the green valleys, because he was no longer alone- know he was, The Wind of Color.