Just over a week had passed since he set up the support sticks. A week of increasing gusts and aggressive breezes gave him an opportunity to test the supports for his plants. The sprouts had been reaching for the sky quicker than anticipated, some had already reached the height of their supports. While others were still struggling to lift themselves off the ground. They were too small for him to tie at this point and all he was able to do was watch and hope for the best. Luckily all the plants had survived the varying degrees of turbulence presented over the last week. The true test was approaching rapidly.
The Sun had just revealed itself when the wind storm began gathering momentum. The air was a bustling crowd of different scents blowing in from every direction. It confused him and caught him off guard even though he was fully aware of the impending assault. Steadying himself was useless as the wind blasted him from every angle making it impossible to find a balance point. His only recourse was to take shelter on the ground itself. Laying flat against the earth he sheltered his face with his arms. Lifting his elbows only the slightest bit provided him quick informative glances at his field. He could quickly take in what was happening around him with these mini-surveys. Every so often he would shake himself enough so that any dirt making a home on his body would be evicted.
He risked his sight in order to look upwards. With such a minimal amount of time allotted to his peek he was only able to guesstimate the time of day at around 2p.m. unless the swirling sand distorted the Suns actual placement. He began to wonder just how long he himself could withstand these winds. There was a gradual increase found within the winds continuous onslaught. The wind would take it's toll for a few moments then ease back allowing him to relax. That time would be short lived before he had to prepare for the next randomly occurring assault. It wasn't getting any easier on him either. The silver lining was to be found in the fact that these winds would pass. By dawn he was certain that the air would be back to it's calm and seductive ways.
Unsure of how much time had passed he chanced another glance up at the Sun and was shocked to discover it was missing. Darkness surrounded the lands. He tried to determine if it was actually night or just a dense wall of wind carried dirt. Regardless of what the truth was he had to hold on. Sleep was now fighting it's way into him. His body fatigued from the hours of bombardment by the sand had begun to ache and plead for rest. He dug himself a little hole where he had his face hidden and covered his head with his arms. His eyes flickered involuntarily before they finally fell victim to the sleep which now over took him.
There was light creeping through the cracks between his arms which still covered his head. He awoke knowing the Sun was visible and his body instantly confirmed his previous nights suspicions. The wind had returned to normal. As he began to lift his head the weight of the sand made it's presence known. He struggled and strained in order to free his skull from this prison. Sliding his arms under his chest and pushing them outwards through the sand he steadied himself and prepared to push through the earth. The weight which covered him was beyond anything he had felt before. His chest was being pushed to the ground and his spine was bending too far in the wrong direction. He had to free himself before his own body failed leaving him to forever join the earth. He wiggled and jostled his legs giving himself a bit more leverage. As he pushed his torso upwards his hips moved forward and his knees reached his waist. He emerged from the sand much like his seedlings. He dragged himself up and rested while he gained the needed strength to finish freeing himself. He watched the Sun slowly move across the sky and by noon he had fully freed himself using as little exertion as possible. He basically wiggled out of the remaining sand much like an earthworm.
He stood and surveyed his field. There were piles of dirt in various sizes spread randomly around the area. He began with the closest pile and slowly started to remove the sand and search for any remains. Once he noticed the support stick his removal process slowed. He wanted to be sure that if the plants were alive that he wouldn't be the one to damage them in an overzealous attempt to free his plants from the crushing weight. The day passed quickly and as the Sun began to touch the horizon his field was almost cleared of all the sand. With only a small area still waiting to be cleared he could now take in the full damage caused by the winds.
He was pleased that the majority of his saplings had survived. There were some that didn't make it through the wind and dirt. Those that were too fragile fell victim and now lived completely within the earth. Their death would nourish the soil for future generations. In that he took some comfort. He also knew that the saplings which survived had became stronger and would flourish in the future.
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