Carla braces against the wind as she faces the water looking over the sea. Black, ominous, boiling clouds roll threateningly toward the shore. The sky has suddenly turned black, replacing the sun. The wind is hurricane forces, whipping and bending the trees as easily as if they are straws. Pushed to almost the breaking point, their arms sweep the ground. Their trunks lean menacingly, as though being shaken by the strong arms of a giant. A few have been ripped from the ground.

The roar of raging waves fills the air. Crashing against the beach with such force, they leave grooves, holes, then suck the fine sand back out into the gaping mouth of the sea. Their rage cannot be tamed. Their fury is bent on destruction.

The few seagulls that have braved the wind are whipped about like loose paper picked up from the street. They’re being thrown up, around, down, and can’t seem to get a foothold on where to go or how to get there. One bird is driven down, down, down. With every ounce of strength it has, it fights to keep from hitting the ground like a bomber nose diving toward earth with deadly results. At the last second before impact, it swerves, just missing the branch of a large tree and lands in the dirt beneath a wall with the words, “But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth” written on it. Dazed, the bird stands, ruffles its feathers and staggers toward an empty barrel.

“Run!” people scream in terror. “It’s a tsunami” a man hollers as he runs as fast as he can toward the hotel. The waves roar toward the shore, threatening man, beast, and life. Anything in their path will be gone in the blink of an eye, never to be seen again.

Carla grabs her five-year-old daughter’s hand as the little girl screams, “Mommy!”

“Come on, honey, we have to run as fast as we can.”

The little girl tries but the sand seems to imprison her feet. The torrents of rain burn their eyes, raindrops so large they feel like small pebbles pelting their face, bare arms, and legs. Carla stumbles. “Mommy!” the little girl screams as she trips and Carla drags her across the sand.

“Lord help us!” Carla screams as she stumbles again while swooping her daughter into her arms.

Stumbling again, she almost drops her daughter as people rush past her. A woman slams into her, almost knocking her to the ground. She cusses at Carla and continues to run frantically. Mothers yelling for their children to hurry up, children crying in fear, screams are heard and the roar-the roar of the monstrous waves grows louder. Slowly, methodically, like an army of giants, these twenty-and thirty- foot high waves march closer and closer as people frantically try to get out of their path. Nothing will stop them. These monsters have a mind of their own.

Carla runs holding her daughter tightly in her arms. A huge wave roars up behind her and just as it’s about to swallow her whole, Carla’s eyes fly open and she bolts upright in the middle of her bed. Gasping for air, she hugs herself in the dark of her bedroom. Her body is covered in sweat and her heart is racing. Realizing she is grasping a wad of blankets tightly, she loosens her grip. It was only a dream! she thinks, relieved. Her heart finally slows and she lies back down.

~~~~~~~~

“…An intense page turner from beginning to end,…” Angel B. Pennyman – Experience His Freedom Ministries Founder

“…a riveting story of the power, grace, and healing of God…” Steve Wood, Sr. Pastor – Mount Pisgah U.M.C. – Atlanta, Ga.

“…literally captivated me…skillfully woven a mixture of romance, intrigue, Christian values…” Bill McKinnon, Pastor – World Outreach Church – McRae, Ga.

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