Sam looked at the elevator controls. A full day had passed and he’d thought and thought about what to do with Aeolid. Every rational fiber in him knew that he should kick him out. He knew where the boy stayed. Security could roust him in just a few minutes. He’d be well within his rights. As the owner of the tower, he might be well within his responsibility as well.

But…he seemed to understand a part of the madness that made the whole thing work. The Tower had been built because an old man wanted to look at the clouds from up above. It made sense that someone else would have some similar silly reason to want to stay there. ‘Communing’ with the wind fit that category perfectly.

He had doubts about that, though. Everyone has heard the wind roar and shriek before. More accurately they’ve heard the sound it makes as it moves past other things. Sam remembered back to a house he’d lived in when he was younger. If it was windy and the angle hit the front door just right it made an awful noise. It sounded like a cross between a car alarm and a duck. If you weren’t ready, it was one of the most frightening things you could ever hear as a homeowner. Put one in mind of an air raid siren.

But it didn’t mean anything. There was no connection to bombings or haunted waterfowl. It only meant that the angle was just right, or that the door had a certain peculiar gap. Nothing more.

It’s human nature to try and put meaning and motivation towards random things that happen in life. This phenomenon had a long history. Sam suspected that the earliest religions were all based on this very thing. It was natural but not very pretty and he really didn’t think he should encourage more of it.

It was obvious what had happened with this young man. Sometime in his youth he’d heard the wind some night and decided that it’s similarity to actual human sounds meant that it was trying to talk to him. All that he needed was a too open mind and the gullibility of youth and suddenly he was communicating with it. From there to actual worship was a single step and a small one at that.

Still…there was something of a kindred spirit thing happening here too. Aeolid really had understood what he was talking about last night. Turning his back on that would be an easy thing to do, but would it be right?

There was also a small part of him that wondered if the boy could possibly be right. There was a chance, admittedly a small one, that he really was providing tornado insurance. It’s not like the cost of his stay was high. Sam chuckled at that.

Could he really allow Aeolid to stay up there just in case he actually had some power over the wind? If he did, it would certainly be useful. But he didn’t, did he. No one did.

With a small bump the elevator arrived at the top. The door slowly opened and Sam carefully stepped out. No one was in sight. Funny, he’d been up here late at night many times and never worried about anything. Now that he knew there was someone else living up here, it was no longer private. It seemed dangerous somehow. He shook the thought off. He’d spent plenty of time with him last night and was never threatened.

“Hello?” No answer. He walked out to the wide open deck so that he could see anyone approaching him. A quick thought and he positioned himself with the moon at his back so he could see more clearly. “Aeolid?” Still nothing. The boy couldn’t have left, could he? Sam suddenly had a vision of himself going into the machine room to try and find him. No, he’d go back down for help before he’d do that.

Then the door to the bathroom opened, spilling light across the flooring. A ‘click’ and it went back to darkness. “Aeolid?”

“Yes. Sorry, didn’t know you were up here. Just finishing up washing.”

“Oh.” Sam felt deeply embarrassed.

“Did you think about it?”

“Of course.”

“And?”

“Well, before I say anything let me ask you a few more questions. Did you think of any way to prove this interaction with the wind thing?”

Aeolid hesitated. Being asked to prove your religion is never an easy thing. “We have discussed this today and we think we know how to prove it. Tonight is a gusty night,” and with this he gestured towards the sky. “If I can tell you when the gusts are going to come, will you believe us?”

Sam paused for a moment. This seemed like a reasonable request but he wanted to test something himself before committing. He wanted to see if it was easy to do. He concentrated and a sudden wind caught him by surprise. No, it wasn’t something simple.

“Yes, that would help me out quite a bit.”

Aeolid closed his eyes and raised his head slightly. He brought his arms up, like he was going to start conducting. “Ok, coming one…two…three…” and a breeze sprung up. “And ending …two…three,” and it died down. “And another one…two….three,” and it was there again. “And intensifying…and dying down.”

Sam felt like he was swimming in some invisible ocean. He became aware of currents that he never suspected before. He’d thought of the young man as a conductor and now he wondered if that wasn’t true. It felt like this was being controlled somehow. The two of them swayed slightly in the wind.

After some time passed, Aeolid opened his eyes and dropped his hands. “Well? Did you feel that? They think you did.”

Sam was faintly embarrassed by the whole thing but he had to admit that there was something there. “That was…incredible. Still. I need more before I can let you stay here.” Time to switch tracks. “You’ve said that you can communicate with the wind, that it talks to you.”

“Yes, it does.”

“Ok, then I have a question for you to ask it. Will it answer a question for me?”
The young man thought about it for a moment and then said, “I can at least ask them.”

“Fair enough. Today we learned that one of our windmills here isn’t operating at peak efficiency. It seems to be dragging when it should spin. I want to know if the wind can tell which one it is.”

Even in the dark, Sam could see Aeolid smile. “I will listen for their answer.” They stood there for a moment, the older man watching the younger one. Finally he answered, “They say that it’s harder to dance with…that one” and he pointed.

Sam was faintly amazed. That was the right answer.

“They also say that there is another that is giving them some difficulty. Nothing too hard, but it is also slow to dance. It’s over here.” And he began to walk to the other side of The Tower. When the were about two thirds around he stopped and pointed at a different windmill. “Is that right, too?”

After some quick mental calculations, Sam decided that it probably was. There had been a second windmill that had been slow today. Not badly enough to warrant anything but attention but this young man had been able to pick it out.

“That is right.”

“And?”

Sam was a little stunned. “Ok, I don’t know how it works but I believe you. You really must be talking with the wind.”

“So I can stay?”

“I… Is there really going to be a tornado?”

“Oh, yes. They aren’t certain when but it will come.”

“And you can keep it from coming right here?”

“They tell me that I can.”

“Ok, then. You can stay.”