Dear Editor,

It appears that nature herself has decided to make a most dramatic entrance this season. Hurricane Melissa, with all her bluster and flair, has swept onto the stage, leaving no doubt that she intends to be the talk of every parlour and port across the Caribbean.

But make no mistake, dear hearts, Miss Melissa did not appear uninvited. Indeed, it seems she is but the latest débutante in a long and rather alarming procession of tempests, each more forceful and unpredictable than the last. The whispers in scientific society suggest that climate change is the true mastermind behind this growing spectacle. A scandal of global proportions if ever there was one!

One might say that the seas have grown too warm, flushed perhaps from embarrassment at how carelessly mankind has treated them. The winds, once playful and polite, have become rather temperamental. And the rain? Positively theatrical. From Kingston to Key West roofs tremble, rivers rise, and electricity vanishes faster than a suitor who’s been found out.

Still there is something most curious about humanity’s response. For though our actions have invited this unruly guest, we persist in acting surprised when she arrives at our door — unannounced and unrelenting.

So, my beloved readers, as you reopen your windows and give thanks for the safety of your loved ones, do take a moment to reflect. Hurricane Melissa is not merely a storm, she is a warning wrapped in wind, a most tempestuous reminder that Mother Nature will not be ignored, or endlessly mistreated.

Lady Whistledung

ladywhistledung@gmail.com