The morning air was cool, with the slightest foggy breeze lightly touching my cheek; the old oaks swayed back and forth gracefully as the wind rushed through the branches and leaves. Birds chirped cheerfully during their morning chore of collecting the slimy, pink worms from the soft, moist Earth in order to survive and feed their young. Only when the rest of the surroundings went completely silent could the light pitter-patter of the slowly falling rain be heard. The daytime was nowhere to be found for the dark-gray remnants of the sky were all that were left from the night time drizzle.

The storm was gentle, just a small piece of what could happen. Although soft, the fish in the murky lake could hear and gaze upon the refreshing rain mildly hitting the surface. The Earth, moist at this time, was not usually in such a fertile state as now. A drought had stricken the environment causing the usually crusty, rust colored dirt, to turn to a deep crimson, sticky muck. The cattle nearby were nonchalantly estranged by this cool falling liquid, but they continued munching on the newly ripened grass. The heifers were so pleased indulging on their meal that they did not hear the temperate bleating of their recently misplaced calves in the nearby woods. The storm stopped and the light began to stream through the holes in the clouds touching the mud stricken hide of the cows, disturbing them to the point of halting their afternoon snack.

For now the area was calm, the sun jumped in and out between the clouds, now snakes slowly slithered stealthily through the tall, wet grass. The sun had allowed them to move due to their cold-blooded inner temperature by warming up their shiny skin. Minute insects did not seem to bother their scaly bodies; they watched the grass using their many tentative sensors hunting for some type of nourishment. A light-brown field mouse scurried through the grass rustling the tall blades cautiously trying not to be seen or found. During this time of caution the mouse did not notice the black eyed demon to the left of it. Snap. The mouse’s miniscule, fragile bones were crushed under the pressure of the powerful jaw filled with sharp fangs. A petty ruby stream began to flow from the mouth of the serpent as it gorged itself on its newly found bounty. Messily the snake tossed its large flat head from side to side and launched the crimson liquid all over the earth. The jaw muscles moved slowly, but fiercely so that the small body would be engulfed in the skinny body to later be burned into energy for hunting and whatever else would be thrown at it.

The storm then emerged from the atmosphere instantaneously. The animals retreated to the safety of their hollows and trees to avoid the now torrential downpour of large droplets. The droplets continued to hit the ground, trees and unprotected animals. Lightning flashed, the forest was alight and awake for an instant. The smell of freshly burned bark and fresh ash was eminent in the forest. Animals were frightened to the extent of faked deaths, for all of the powdery white possums had hit the earth with a thud that could not be heard over the thunder. More thunder followed the flash and shook the world as it sat. It was as if a bomb had been dropped. The world was now deafened, the bang had awoken all, it shattered the windows of the small, moldy shack had been shattered.

The lake was now alive with water droplets, some going up and some crashing down onto the previously still water. The breaking point was near; the level of water had now reached a critical point of breaking the manmade dam of dirt and grass. Now becoming one, the lake and dam were covered in fish of all sizes; gray ones, whiskery ones, and spiky green ones. The creatures of the land and water were now in one place, not in the location where they were originally and intelligently placed. Now, they had brought their own soon to come deaths upon themselves.

The rain came to an abrupt stop; multitudes of fish were now trapped on the soaked earth. The darkness had engulfed the ecosystem and the prowlers of the night appeared out of the forest, their shadows were the only visible parts of them. The smell of dead aquatic creatures lingered in the air. The coyotes howled, yipped and caused an orchestrated sound in the forest. Owls hooted softly so as not to alert their already fear-stricken prey among the forest floor. The lifeless bodies of the critters lay sprawled on the dark earth, coyotes and other scavengers picked and ripped at the bloody tissue of the cold, creatures. The circle of life had been completed for these small amphibians.

The sun arose with a crimson glow heating the cool earth back to its original state. The daytime was sticky and humid so, animals took refuge among the shade of the trees and bushes. In the open plains, many insects jumped and small birds swooped down and plucked them out of the grassy hell. Among the trees, tusked and aggressive wild hogs ran around, scavenging off of the deer feeders and whatever wild grass could be completely rooted out of the forest floor. As the sun climbed high in the sky, the shadowy figures in the sky dove down after smelling the odorous protein of the already picked apart carcasses of the scaly bodies. The only fragments not scavenged on the fish were the juicy, glassed-over eyeballs. When in the beaks of the vultures, the eyes crunched as pressure was applied causing milky liquids to ooze out. The vultures would not dare waste this precious, salty liquid, therefore they cleaned up what dripped off onto the now dusty ground. Pleased as could be, the vultures took flight once again toward the burning sun.