Suddenly fell a rumbling thunder-clap that droned through all the wood and died away in a long chain of rough sounds. The children looked at one another and then at the trees and the sky. All stood black now, the sun was gone and a warm wind came working through the boughs, by gusts. It grew dark as night and at times most terribly silent.
And now—they all crossed themselves—a ball of fire flew through the sky and it cracked and broke and it tore all that was in the wood. The wind came up, the branches rocked and writhed and the leaves fluttered and tugged and heavy drops beat into the sand.
“Quick, quick!” said Trientje. “It’s going to lighten!”
Lowietje said nothing and Poentje cried. Each took the child by one hand and they ran as fast as they could to get from under the trees.
“Ooh! Ooh!”
They dashed their hands before their eyes and stood still: a golden snake twisted round a tree and all the wood was bright with fire and there came a droning and a rumbling and a banging as of stones together and a hundred thousand branches burst asunder. Shivering, not daring to look up, they crossed themselves again and all three crept under the branches, deep down in a ditch. Trientje tied her pinafore over the little one’s face and they sat there huddled together, shuddering and peeping through their fingers and saying loud Our Fathers.
“You must not look, Lowietje: the lightning would strike you blind.”
The trees wrung their heavy boughs and everything squeaked and rustled terribly. The water rained and poured from the leafy vault on Trientje’s straw hat, on Lowietje’s bare head and right through his little torn shirt. And clap and clap of thunder fell; the sky opened and belched fire like a hot oven. The children sat nestling into each other’s arms—Poentje down under the other two—and only when it had kept still for long did they all, trembling and terrified, dare to put out their heads.
“I wish we were home now!” sighed Lowietje.
Once more the sky was all on fire and rumbling and breaking and crackling till the earth quaked and shook.