The cry of the newborn baby could scarce be heard over the roaring wind. The storm had raged for hours. Blowing from the mountains in the west the demon wind tore at everything and roared like a great wave unseen over the land. The home was low but sturdy. It held the memory of a thousand storms like this. No proud tower would have stood the test of years. The bare simple walls were smooth. Groomed like the great tree in the yard, learning to yield to overwhelming force or be snapped and shaped by the whim of the gale. The old midwife fought the door emerging to crouch on the porch to shelter against the wind. Her worried stare stops on the great mountain. The crescent moon lay cupped just above its peak. Venus had risen above it like the pupil of a great eye. The mountain was clothed in a swirl of cloud that streamed like a pillar of smoke to unknown heights. The rumbling sound of thunder shook the ground and there was a terrific deafening boom from the mountain. Ana's felt the cold shiver of fear grip her spine as she realized their peril. The mountain had opened and a great column of ash was pouring out. She knew they had only one chance, to flee across the great river before the deadly flood came roaring down, killing everything in its path. She scrambled into the house screaming "Moni quick!" "We must flee!" "The mountain has awakened!"