#chasing clouds

The driver of the cute blue van checks if the GoPro on her dashboard is still recording the stunning view when the VW rolls down the bridge. After California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, Louisiana will be the fifth state of America that she is going to explore and she couldn’t be more excited. New Orleans has been on her bucket list for a long time. The Jazz and Brazz music, the French Quarters, the steamboats on the Mississippi River; Y/N has heard it is a city like no other.

Tonight however, she will set up camp in Orange, a town at the state line. She has picked out a campground just off the highway, offering a swift departure tomorrow morning.

It doesn’t take long before Y/N turns her van onto the driveway of Cypress Lake RV Park. It’s a small resort, the green grass neatly mowed on the parking spots near the water, giving visitors a picturesque view. They even rent out airboats, and Y/N makes a mental note that she should consider taking one out and explore the river in the morning before she hits the road again.

The little camper stops by the front desk, and after killing the engine, the traveler gets out. Her body feels somewhat stiff from the ride, the original seats of the Volkswagen not the most comfortable, but after she stretches her back while taking in her surroundings, she feels better. 

Y/N is immediately hit with the diverse choruses from birds, mixed with mating calls from frogs and other amphibians. A gentle wind rustles through the Spanish moss hanging from the Cypress trees along the riverbank, seemingly welcoming her. It’s a totally different world than what she’s so familiar with in California. Y/N’s eyes are sparkling as she approaches the little white building on the side of the driveway, an American flag hanging from a slanted pole. She swats a few mosquitoes away before she enters, a bell chiming when she pulls the door towards her and steps through the fly curtain.

Inside, it’s quiet, except for the blues song that is softly playing on an old radio, the music coming from the speakers with a crackle. There’s a mini-market on the right side, the refrigerators holding refreshments buzzing. On the left, camping gear is displayed, but also fishing equipment, with a sign saying ‘for rent’ above. There’s no one behind the front desk, until a woman with dyed blonde hair strapped back in a braid steps out of the back room. She’s wearing a white tanktop with an eagle on it, with a pair of jeans. At first glance, she seems somewhat stern and intimidating, her brow furrowed as she sets two heavy cardboard boxes down behind the desk. It’s only when she straightens her back that she spots the visitor. Her demeanor instantly changes, a welcoming smile forming on her lips.

“Well hi, sweet pea! Welcome! What can I do for ya?” she asks, a Southern drawl thick on her tongue. “Hi,” Y/N responds, approaching the desk. “I was wondering if you have a slot available. I’d like to spend the night.” The middle-aged woman pulls the calendar towards her. “Just one night, darlin’?” “Yes, please.”  “Just you?” “Just me.”

She checks the bookings. “Do you need electricity? I have two spaces available on the back field, one with and one without hookup.”  “With, if that’s possible,” the young traveler answers. “Is that next to the water by any chance? I love the view.” “Oh no, sorry, honey. We’re under a flood watch, so we’re keeping those slots empty just in case,” the woman explains. Y/N frowns. “A flood watch?”

“Nothin’ to worry about. They announce one whenever they expect a spec of rain down here. Happens all the time,” the kind lady says, shrugging it off. “That will be eighteen dollars. What’s your name, hon?” “Y/N L/N,” she states, handing her the money. “Well, I’m Mae. If you need anythin’, gimme a holler,” Mae takes a pamphlet out of the drawer, scribbling something on the top right corner. “Your spot is B-14. Showers and restrooms are around back. Don’t use the left one - it runs ice cold if anyone flushes the damn toilet.”

Y/N chuckles, quickly scanning the flyer with information about the park, rental options and more. “Thanks for the heads up. I have one more question. Is it okay if I make a few videos for my vlog?” “Only if you film me on my good side,” Mae winks, stepping away from the counter and gesturing to her guest to follow. “Follow me, I’ll show ya the way.”

Happy to have found a place for the night, Y/N does exactly that. The owner of the RV park waddles towards the door, her Crocs padding against the tiles. Once outside, the symphony of nature greets them, as Mae eyes the Volkswagen van with appreciation. “What a cute lil’ camper!” she comments, delighted, placing her hands on her broad hips. “A lil’ different from those big RV’s that usually roll in here. Don’t ya ever feel crammed?”

Y/N opens the passenger door, grabbing her Parasonic camcorder from the seat.  “No, not really. I actually enjoy how cozy it is. And it’s easy to maneuver within the city limits as well.” “I bet. Where’re ya from, darlin’?” “California,” the young nomad replies. “Long way from home,” Mae says, gesturing Y/N to follow her as she walks further onto the property.  She chuckles. “This is my home. My little house on wheels.” 

“Well, ain’t that nice,” the nice lady responds, genuinely interested in her story. “And you have it all on film?” “Yeah, and I post the videos on my channel so people can follow my journey. It’s called Chasing Clouds.” “My son’s into that stuff, always watchin’ YouTube. I’ll tell him to go check out your videos,” Mae quips before she points up ahead. “Here we are.”

Under a tall Cypress tree, one spot is left vacant. It’s situated on a small small slope, but the area next to the hookup is levelled. It’s an ideal place and still oversees the bayous. This will do just fine for tonight.  The kind-hearted woman steps back, giving her guest a smile. “I’ll letcha get settled. Enjoy your stay, sweety.”  “Thank you,” Y/N returns, giving her a little wave.

With a deep breath, she takes in the warm air, allowing her senses to once again take in all the new sounds, smells and views. The further she has driven away from her home state, the more the world has changed around her. For someone who has never left the west coast of California, there is so much to experience. It’s the best part about this journey.

Y/N glances at the camcorder in her hand and then holds it up, switching it on and flipping the LCD screen. Time to get some footage and park her minivan, before she runs out of light.

Rain drums against the windows of the Volkswagen, tickling down the glass in random patterns. It’s almost dark outside, but not just because the sun is setting. Dark clouds have rolled in from the west. The precipitation that started only minutes ago, hasn’t done much for the temperature, though. It’s still humid and warm in the small camper. Y/N opens the window, tilting it upward and secures the leg-up, after which she pulls the fly screen down. The wind caresses her bare arms and she leans back against the bench. Much better.

Earlier, she had shot some material for her vlog, showing her future viewers around on the property. Mae was kind enough to say a few words and she met a lovely elderly couple who are staying at the campsite as well. Y/N usually tries to involve locals whenever she’s making a video. The people she meets on the way are such an important part of the whole adventure. The traveler isn’t a loner by any means, as long as the company is good. Crossing paths with owners of shops and restaurants, artists, musicians and other adventure seekers; it has added such a value. Not only to the experience, but to her videos as well.

Now she was going over the footage, comfortable in her PJ shorts and a loose shirt, with her bare feet propped up on the couch, her bare legs crossed at her ankles. As the fairy-lights spread a yellow gleam through the small cabin, she moves her eyes away from her laptop screen, which is situated before her on the table. The van might indeed be ‘mini’, but with a couple of neat storage tricks, she has all the space she needs. 

The tabletop can drop down for instance, the cushions she is using as a backrest right now fitting perfectly on top, making it into a small twin bed. Under one of the benches, she has food and drinks stored, under the other her clothes. Then there’s the kitchen next to the sliding door, which she can turn 270 degrees, allowing her to cook either indoors or outdoors, depending on the weather. The only thing she needs to go outside for, is the shower.

Photos are taped to the walls, filling up every space that has no window. Pictures she took along the way, but also a few from her past. Y/N smiles when her gaze locks on an image of her and her sister. They must have been no older than fifteen and seventeen, two young girls with their arms wrapped around each other on the beach. Memories she will hold dear forever. 

Her sister. Her beautiful, sweet baby sister. Y/N has wished many times that she could have gone on this road trip with Jade. She inspired her to go, to document it on film and share it with the world. Who would have thought that her blog in video form would reach so many people. 

In the beginning, only a few hundred people followed her travels on YouTube, the number of likes and subscriptions slowly growing. Then, out of nowhere, one video went viral. She remembers it well; it was a special about her Volkswagen, followed by shots of Y/N surfing in Malibu. An old-timer enthusiast offered to shoot footage with a drone. The bird's eye view shots against the Californian sunset turned out absolutely amazing. 

Overnight, it was watched so many times that she gained over five thousand subscriptions by morning. She had no idea what had hit her; her phone had completely blown up. She went from uploading a video every now and then to a full blown vlogger, spending whenever she wasn’t traveling or sightseeing editing videos. Now, she gets paid for views, advertising and promoting products. She even receives a decent amount in donations from followers. The support is amazing, most of the time coming from people she has never even met. Who would have thought a YouTube channel would be able to pay for her travel expenses? 

It has been an interesting road so far, that’s a given. She has finally allowed herself to live her life, to prioritize herself. She has discovered talents she never knew she had. Everything came together at exactly the right time. The great video, the setting, the algorithm.

The perfect storm.

Thunder rumbling in the distance interrupts her trip down memory lane. Y/N peeks outside in the direction of where the bad  weather is coming from, but trees and bushes obstruct her vision. It doesn’t take long before the sound grows a little louder, flashes brightening the ominous sky whenever lightning strikes.

Y/N had heard on the local news radio that there was a chance of severe thunderstorms. Apparently they are as common here as wildfires are in California. She’s glad she got a spot on higher grounds, since the region is prone to flooding. Enjoying the mixture of croaking frogs and the tapping of the rain on the steel roof of her van, backed with an almost continuous roll of thunder. It doesn’t scare her, in fact, she enjoys the drums of nature.

Done with editing for the night, she closes her laptop. After sending out a quick tweet and dropping a post with the highlights of the day on Instagram and Facebook, she sets up her camcorder on a small tripod and switches on her ringlight. Time for a last message before she goes to bed. She will add the closing part of the video in the morning and will look for a restaurant with WiFi on her way to Louisiana to upload it, since the service isn’t great here. After flipping the screen and checking if she looks decent, Y/N hits record and looks in the lens.

“Hey, guys. It’s March 8th, 2011 and already day ninety-nine on the road, so tomorrow will mark the hundredth day of my journey. I can’t believe it’s been this long, but it also feels like time is flying, know what I mean?”

She chuckles at the thought, comfortably continuing her story as if she’s talking to a good friend. In a way, she is. She always pictures telling about her adventures to her sister.

“Houston was amazing, I genuinely had so much fun in Texas. I’m at the state line now, in a town called Orange. The weather is a bit crazy, as you can see,” she pauses, blinking when the bright light of lightning strikes a bit closer by. Great timing. “I’m safe and dry in my little Volkswagen. Time for me to hunker down and get some sleep, because tomorrow, I’m going to Louisiana.” Y/N smiles, looking up at the ceiling of her little mobile home.

“Honestly, this would have never been possible without you. I wanna thank everyone who has supported me from the bottom of my heart. You have made this journey so much more than just a road trip, and I’m so glad that my quest to explore America and discover myself has inspired so many. Know, though, that you all inspire me. Thank you.”

The young vlogger continues with a small request to like the video and subscribe to her channel like she always does. So genuinely invested in delivering her message, she hasn’t quite noticed that the wind outside has calmed, changing directions. She is about to close the recording, when suddenly, an eerie siren begins to blare outside.

It startles her, her heart shooting up to her throat. She listens to the high-pitched sound, the steady wavering tone having the hair on the back of her neck stand up. For a moment she forgets the camera is rolling as she peers through the glass. It sounds much like the tsunami sirens she has heard once or twice in Santa Cruz. Would this be a flood-warning? 

“I don’t know if you guys can hear that,” she wonders, remembering the Panasonic is still recording, continuing nervously. “There are sirens going off and it’s kinda freaking me out. I hope I’m okay here.”

Lightning flashes more violently, the thundering boom shortly after indicating that the storm is coming closer. From the corner of her eye, she has noticed her phone lighting up, indicating that messages are incoming. Normally she never checks her notifications when she’s editing or filming, but then the screen brightens again.

Y/N is stunned to notice the wave of replies and messages on Twitter and her other socials, all coming from followers. She quickly scrolls through them, scanning over words like ‘watch out’ and ‘be careful’. Careful for what? Then a new message comes in, a response to her tweet.

There is a severe thunderstorm coming your way, high winds and possibly a tornado! Please be safe!

Possibly a tornado? Y/N stares at her phone with big eyes, stammering before she can collect herself. “I’m, uh - I’m getting a lot of messages from you guys warning me about the weather. What should I do, though? I don’t think there’s a stormshelter on the premises.” Anxiously, Y/N runs her fingers through her hair, lightning breaking the heavens in half and outlining her profile. With haste, she closes the window, sealing it shut, all while keeping an eye on the dark incoming clouds. 

Then her gaze stops.

Her heart skips a beat, a frozen deer caught in the headlights of the storm. She barely caught it, but in the darkness one flash reveals the contours of a large, dark shaft, coming down from the low clouds. She imagined that, right? It has to be just heavy rainfall. Right? 

Something changes in the atmosphere. The wind begins to move through the trees again, only this time coming from the east, the intensity growing within no more than ten seconds. Panic begins to creep through her veins, spreading through her body like a virus. What is she supposed to do?! Stay put? But she has heard that a mobile home is the worst place to be in when it comes to tornadoes.

I’m in a Goddamn mini-van.

“Oh, God… What - what do I do?” she stutters, backing away from the window as another flash shows the monster’s true form, seemingly growing larger. “Oh, God - Oh, God! There’s a tornado!” The old Volkswagen moans as the velocities rise, beginning to rock on its small wheels. 

The hauling wind and loud thunder are deafening, drowning out the wail of the sirens. Power lines next to the road sway, the Stars and Stripes violently fluttering, completely horizontal. Loose lawn items topple over - folding chairs, flowerpots, a children's toy-slide. Branches and leaves fill the sky, getting picked up by the strong surge. 

Y/N should have known her response to a life-threatening situation isn’t fight or flight. After all, she has been in a traumatic situation that altered her future before, and the reaction was the exact same. Unable to move, tears pool on her lashes, shimmering eyes staring at nature’s fury. 

She is going to die.

Scared beyond reasoning, she slowly turns on the spot, witnessing how the idyllic world around her snaps and breaks as it is sucked into the vortex. The windscreen cracks as debris hits the glass, but that’s not what Y/N captures. It’s the pendant that hangs from the rearview mirror, swaying as the winds claw at the van. Noticing the golden object triggers something, snapping her out of the deep trance.

Jade would want you to survive.

Knowing it’s too late to run and try to find a ditch, Y/N drops to the floor and quickly crawls under the table. More glass breaks and shatters, the sharp particles raining down on her. In a desperate attempt to protect herself from the relentless storm, she grabs the bench cushions and pulls them on top of her. It’s the only barrier between the young woman and all that Mother Nature is throwing at her, because within moments, the side windows blow out, pulling a scream from Y/N’s chest.

As a roar grows louder, like a freight train approaching fast. Water and hail plunges through the gaping holes in the VW, together with twigs and leaves.  The kitchen cabinets fly open as the campervan shakes strenuously, the curtains being ripped off the rails. Slowly, the blue car shifts, the frame moaning when the hurricane force winds get a grip on the vehicle. 

With her eyes squeezed shut, Y/N makes herself as small as possible, lying on her side in a fetal position in the complete chaos. Wood splintering, loud bangs, car alarms, metal churning, and that growl like no other. She didn’t know a tornado could produce such a sound.

Pressure builds on her ears until they pop, a buzz easing the assault to her hearing. Her brain registers a sudden, white flash even through closed eyelids, simultaneously with the head-splitting crash of thunder. The ground shakes and she can feel the vibrations in her chest, followed by the sound of a bark breaking and wood snapping. 

A deafening thud that has the earth trembling once again, announces the old Cypress tree that has landed on top of the baby blue van. The weight of the trunk is so heavy that the roof comes down, the frame of the iconic VW contorting under the pressure. 

Pinned under the table, Y/N cries hysterically. Soaked in rain and suffocating in the tight space, she can barely pull in a breath. Fear has completely taken over, pitch black darkness interrupted by sudden bright flashes of the intense lightning storm only adding to the disorientation. Stuck and with nowhere to go, all she can do is await her fate as the tornado is about to pass over.

There’s a downside to independence. A catch to being a lonely traveler. Because when all hell breaks loose, there’s no one there to rescue a woman who desperately wants to be held. Y/N has never felt this utterly alone in the world. 

She is trapped in the eye of the storm, and nobody is there to save her.