Hurricanes on the Coast

It’s a dark and eerie day on the coast.

No birds are in sight, thunder rumbles in the distance, and the ocean begins to recede.

The Wizard on the Coast looks to his familiar, Wilson.

“Gather the dry goods and head to the shelter on high ground. There’s a hurricane coming. I’ll meet you there after I grab some extra supplies.”

Wilson scurries off to the block shelter, prepared for just such an occasion.

Rain begins to drizzle.

The wizard boards up his lemonade stand and gathers coconuts for hydration.

As the storm draws closer, our wizard friend hastily makes his way to the shelter.

Lightning strikes nearby. The storm is raging toward the coast.
Wilson and the wizard board up their block shelter.

“It’s going to be a long night,” says the wizard
“These storms show no mercy.”

Winds begin howling, lightning flashes furiously, and the rain pours down.

The wizard blows out their last candle, and the two bunker down for the night.

The winds tear through the coast like a freight train, howling without pause.
Trees crash in the distance. Thunderous tremors shake the ground as lightning strikes all around.

It’s hard to get a wink of sleep.

The storm rages on through the night. Eventually, the wizard and his familiar catch a moment of rest.

Sunrise. The storm has passed.

The wizard and Wilson awaken to the sound of birds singing their morning tune.

They take down the boards and step outside.

Fallen palm trees and scattered debris surround them.

The two venture out to assess the hurricane’s damage.

“What a mess,” says the wizard.
“Let’s see how the lemonade stand held up.”

Wilson and the wizard head toward the shoreline.

“Excellent! It seems to have held up—minor water damage. Nothing we can’t fix!” exclaims the wizard.

“Grab my tools and let’s get to work, Wilson!”

Over the next few days, they gather quality wood and remove the water-damaged materials from the stand.

“Everything will be back to normal soon,” says the wizard.

It’s been over a week since the storm.

The wizard and his familiar have been working diligently to get the lemonade stand back up and running.

“Looks like we’re getting close, Wilson!” says the wizard.

Dark clouds approach on the horizon.

The wizard narrows his eyes.

“Those clouds are darker than before,” he says.

The ocean begins to recede again. The birds have vanished.

“Wilson… that can’t be. Another storm approaches. We must leave the lemonade stand and take shelter—quickly!”

As they rush toward the shelter, the wizard notices something half-buried in the sand.

He quickly digs it out.

“A radio?” he says aloud.

With no time to spare, the wizard grabs the radio and hurries to catch up with Wilson.

They board up the shelter once more and bunker down.

“This is not good, Wilson. These storms don’t usually return so soon. And this one is stronger than the last.”

Winds begin to howl again. Lightning strikes with more fury than before.

The storm rages while the wizard and his familiar bunker down.

The wizard pulls out the radio.

“Look what I found,” he says.
“It appears broken, but maybe we can still get a signal.”

He tinkers with the device, turning knobs and pushing buttons.

Static crackles:

Krrsshhh… krshhh… Mon… krshh… Magic… kershhh… new… skrshhh…
Then silence.

The wizard looks at Wilson.

“Sounds like we might not be alone after all, Wilson. If only we could pick up the rest of that signal.”

The two sit quietly as the storm roars outside.

By morning, the storm has mostly passed, but rain still falls heavily.

By noon, the storm has fully passed.

“It’s time to see what damage this storm brought,” says the wizard.

They venture outside.

The coastline is more devastated than before. Palm trees are scattered.

Boulders have been moved distances only giants could manage.
The ocean had surged inland, wiping away everything in its path.

The wizard grabs his tools, and he and Wilson walk toward the spot where their lemonade stand once stood.

“It’s gone,” says the wizard.
“Not a trace left. Nothing to even rebuild.”

The coastline no longer looks familiar.
The sea had reconfigured the land.
The surge had moved it where it wanted.

Devastated, the wizard and his familiar begin walking up the coast.

Everything feels different.
The coast they knew and loved had changed.

A blessing in disguise, perhaps. Such is the price of paradise.

As they walk what used to be their usual path, they notice something strange.
The sand now connects to new land.

From the distance, a voice calls out:

“HELLO!”

A wizard walks toward them.

“Greetings!” exclaims the stranger.

“I am Wizard #7696.
I see you and your familiar weathered the storm well.”

“There are other wizards here?!” shouts the wizard from the coast.

“Hah, there are a few of us,” Cromwell replies.
“But our village was hit hard by these storms.”

The wizard looks at Wilson, then back at Cromwell.
“We’ve been stranded on this coast alone for years,” he says.

Cromwell chuckles. “Not anymore! It appears the lands have shifted, and the ouroboros has led you to us!”

“I see you have tools,” he continues. “We could use a wizard like you in our village. There’s much to rebuild.”

The wizard smiles.
“Well then, where do we begin?”

Cromwell grins. “Can you rebuild my bar? It’s where our village gathers to network.”

The wizard nods with confidence.
“Let’s get to work.”

Entered by: 0xbB54…1D4F and preserved on chain (see transaction)