Thursday, August 1, 2013
...AND THEN, THE RAINS CAME
Looking out my window on a dreary, wet and rainy morning, my thoughts are of nature's power. Write a situation where rain or any other weather phenomenon plays a major part in your tale. You could be a farmer dealing with drought when the rains finally come, or someone sick of the constant barrage of downpours or blizzards, and to what end they bring you. Stretch the limits of things purely out of our control, and tell the story that's inside you,,,
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Life had never been fun for Luke. While his family hadn't been poor, they never had enough money to buy the things other kids had. Most of his clothes had been second-hand. He didn't quite fit in with the other kids. He got along with them, but he liked rainy days where they all preferred sunny ones so they could go outside to play sports, go fishing, or ride bikes. Those things bored Luke. In fact, most things bored him. He was smart enough, never having to study to get decent grades, and, maybe, that was the root of the boredom. As he got older, Luke never seemed to find his niche. He was okay at most sports, but not good enough to be a star. He had moments of interest in his classes, but nothing long-term. Even music failed to entertain him for long. It was like he'd been living under a black cloud, like the one currently camped out over his hometown.
ReplyDeleteThe cloud had drifted in casually enough, like any other cloud, on Luke's birthday, the day before his graduation from high school, and poured down rain. It caused the graduation ceremony to be moved indoors, but a contingency for that is always planned. At the time, he thought it was kind of neat that it was raining on graduation day. The rain slacked off the next day and had just been barely a drizzle since. It was just enough to keep things wet.
The meteorologists were all abuzz and scratching their collective heads over why this cloud was just hovering over this one town. The military had flown weather planes through the cloud, hoping to learn something about it. Other than not moving with the rest of the air currents, it appeared to be a normal rain cloud.
Going on two months of no sun, even Luke was getting tired of the cloud and rain, with one exception: Heather. He'd been sitting at his normal little table next to the window in Caffeine Up, reading a book, when Heather came over, drink in hand, and asked if she could use the other seat. He'd had a crush on her since his sophomore year when she moved into town, so he was amazed he was able to sound casual when he told her "Sure". She'd mentioned how crowded the coffee shop was and he'd cited the rain as the reason. She'd been glad to find a seat. She smiled a lot. Luke was mesmerized, but managed to hold up a conversation she must have felt compelled to have since she'd intruded on his table. It had been an actual conversation, too. Not just a chat about the weather, but a full-blown, getting-to-know-you conversation that lasted over two or three cups of coffee. That had led to a number of subsequent coffee "dates".
During the conversation yesterday, Luke had mentioned a really secluded spot that overlooked a bend in the nearby river where he liked to go to relax and think. Heather had said that it sounded pretty and he'd promised to show her someday, if the rain would ever stop. And it had. Right then.
After a few seconds of staring out the window, along with everyone in the shop, Luke had suggested they visit the secluded spot today, hoping that the sun would make an appearance since the rain had finally stopped. Heather had agreed, smiling expectantly. They had continued their conversation and then said goodbye, with plans to meet at the shop to get coffees before heading off.
Luke woke this morning more excited than on any day he'd had dates with Heather so far. He was going to show her his favorite place in the world. He opened his curtains and, while not sunny, it looked brighter outside. Heading out the door, he looked up and saw that he'd been wrong. That ominous black cloud was still there.
"Come on! Why are you here?" Luke screamed at the cloud. "Just go away!"
And it did. Right then.
The cloud began to break apart and was completely gone by the time Luke got to Caffeine Up where he found Heather, smiling like the sun, waiting for him. Luke knew his life would no longer be boring.
For me rain has always been a joyful thing where i wish to traverse the wet path under an umbrella with my soul mate:)..
ReplyDelete