While it has become a bit of a cliche, wind chimes are sometimes used as an archetypical Herald, announcing the coming of significant change, and usually an ominous one. One story idea that comes to mind is that of a fisherman and the Japanese tsunami. In the beginning, we see our hero at sea, hauling in his day's catch. The wind chimes (a school of fish) happily jangle from the mast, as the boat rocks back and forth. And then the earthquake. Because he's at sea, our hero doesn't feel the earth shake, and doesn't realize that a monster tidal wave is fast approaching. He's to busy hooking more bait, to notice the winds picking up; his wind chime the only indication of the oncoming tsunami. Once the devastation is over, our fisherman clings to the splintered mast as it floats in the ocean, the once-jangling school of fish now silenced as they swim in the water. Having been rescued, our fisherman begins collecting materials for a new boat. He hammers a new set of wind chimes onto a mast, symbolizing rebirth and a new start on life.