There's a storm in the distance. I can see it hovering, illuminating the trees outside. I'm so cold - I can feel the rain penetrating my rough exterior, seeping through my skin, saturating my eyelids, pulling them heavily closed. It pounds against my heart, wanting to be let in. But I can't be filled with such uncertainty - I can't be blind with love. I always know my way. The compass leads me home.

Now the thunder comes - a loud booming against my eardrums. Thrashing, churning violently, the ground shakes beneath my feet, leading me astray. I drown.

Those flashes of light. A few seconds of sight in my darkened world. I struggle to find my way once more, fighting the waves of doubt inside.

One meek step precedes another, the world sliding out from underneath me. The clouds descend, consuming my resolve. I am surrounded by a cloud of gray, darkest gray, and I reach inside myself for comfort.

There in the distance, in the pouring rain, the beating thunder, the pulsating flashes of light, he stands. Stronger than the trees that bow to let this storm pass. His hand outstretched, he calls to me, beckons me. I run, fleeing my fear, allowing his fingers to wrap around mine, pulling me close. I hear his breath, feel his heartbeat, inhale his warmth. The storm subsides, and as I look into his eyes, he welcomes me home.

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