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Thunder rumbled in the sky, sounding for all the world like the ominous growl of a hungry beast. The darkened room was lit up every so often with vivid flashes of light, illuminating everything within for a brief second. The wind was howling outside as it rushed through the nearby trees and caused loose shutters to rattle as it blew past. The rain was relentless, drumming repeatedly as it continued to fall. All the combined noises made the storm quite a terrifying thing indeed.
How could everyone sleep through the storm so calmly? Weren't any of them scared? He was, but he didn't want to wake them up for fear they would just laugh at him and call him a baby. Max wanted to believe he was a big boy now, but storms could still make him feel afraid. How pathetic was that, being afraid of a tiny storm? Still, each clap of thunder made him jump in his bed and he just couldn't sleep for all the noise. A fearful whimper burst from his throat before he could stop it in time. Max screwed his eyes shut and curled up in a ball, shivering.
A hand came down upon his shoulder a moment later and his eyes flew open in surprise. Max looked up at the smiling face of his older sister.
"Are you okay, Max?" she asked in a concerned voice, sitting down on the bed. "The storm's keeping you awake, isn't it?"
"No," Max said in an uneasy voice. "I'm not scared. I just can't sleep." His voice wobbled against his wishes however.
"It's okay, Max. There's no need to be afraid. The storm can't hurt you," May said, rubbing his body in slow circles. "It's noisy, I know, but you don't need to be scared."
Max bit his lower lip, lowering his head. "I'm just a baby, aren't I?" he whispered, sounding ashamed.
"Of course not." May lay down and wrapped her arms around her little brother comfortingly. She stroked his hair, trying to calm him. "It's perfectly normal to be afraid. I don't think any less of you for it. Now just try to go to sleep and when you wake up, the storm will be gone." The brunette started softly singing the lullaby that their mother had once sung for them.
Soon, Max had managed to fall asleep, no longer afraid of the storm.