Floodgates

The time storm seemed even more violent the second time around. The deafening howling of the wind had grown deeper and louder, sounding more like a monstrous roar now. It was as if an enormous beast was struggling to break free of its chains somewhere below the waves, its voice reverberating across the entire world and shaking the heavens. 

The sky itself seemed like it had been torn asunder and collapsed. A flood of boiling mist poured through its broken dam, devouring the seething surface of the Great River. The tiny speck of the wooden ketch flew through the howling abyss, surrounded by frenzied darkness. Sometimes, a thunderous crack would drown out the fury of the storm, as if the pillars of the world were fracturing and crumbling apart. 

Then, a blinding flash of lightning would momentarily illuminate the turbulent expanse of dark water. Hidden by the mist, colossal waves rose and fell like black mountains, carrying with them an obliterating weight.