A Tsunami Spring

Tsunami Spring

It was the end of the year, that last week between Christmas and New Year’s when the weather in the Southern Appalachian Mountains turns crisp and cold one more time. The icicles were hung from the rock faces along the mountain roads, fed only by the springs that trickled out of the marble hillsides. Sometimes they take on the appearance of organ pipes in a grand cathedral. They sparkle and glisten in the sun as the rivulets of clear water drip from their crystal points, only to refreeze on the shadowed ground.

It was a beautiful time of year, that soft part of the winter that hovered between bitter cold and welcomed warmth. Nighttime would hold in the low twenties or teens, while the midday sun took the air up to a blistering 35°. It was tolerable, and kept the Christmas spirit alive. Anyone in this winter haven could easily forget about life for awhile, and sit by a crackling fire and day dream.

But twelve thousand miles away on the other side of the world a small island nation is rocked by a cataclysmic earthquake, the likes of which have never before been recorded in history. The earth is knocked from it’s axis a distance of one inch, and tidal waves are engulfing coastal cities all over the Indian Ocean, killing hundreds of thousands of men, women and children.

Here, the effects are gradual, but still devastating. The temperature rises twenty-five degrees in a matter of hours. The ice melts, the insects come out, and fruit trees begin blooming. Snakes and other reptiles come out of their burrows, awakened prematurely from their hibernation. The people are shedding their coats and sweaters and walking around in their shirtsleeves. Groundhogs scurry around searching for food that does not exist yet, but will soon sprout. It is living proof of the Chaos Effect. Spring is here.

The cataclysmic chain of events caused by a massive quake have changed the very nature of things. The tidal waves have changed the ocean’s currents. The change in the axis has altered the weather patterns and air flow. Warm sunny climates are being inundated with rain and snow, while the cold climates are warming up.

When this all settles down, and the cycle of life reestablishes itself, the new fruit blossoms may die, leaving nothing for the new season. The reptiles may freeze, and the small mammals may not reproduce for another year, causing a disruption in the food chain. The primary predators like the eagle and hawk will starve and will be forced to migrate to other areas, disrupting even more of the delicate balance of nature. Eventually, rodents will run unchecked causing serious damage to crops and property. The cycle will go on perpetually, unchecked, until it eventually and gradually levels out.

This is the brutal side of nature. Unlike a Rocket Summer, it is a sudden and unexpected seasonal change that cannot be controlled, but must be accepted and dealt with.

It is a Tsunami Spring.

_{© 2005/2010 By Del Banks}