One With the Rain

The soft drops of rain trickled down her cheeks. Her red hair gradually grew darker, more brown in the wetness of the storm. Freckles of brown mixed with freckles of water droplets as she held her head skyward, nostrils flaring in and out. The smell of rain was soothing, the almighty sign of life was reassuring after her days of death and darkness. And most of all, silence. She had always taken the gentle sounds of rain for granted. She had never listened. She had never listened to the soft patter of rainwater landing on the green pines. She had never once stopped to listen to the way the wind pushed the water against her ears. And now, when she so needed the comfort of the simple sounds of rain, she could not. Her world was soundless, but now it was as if she heard more. She felt the soft wet drop find its way over the gentle slope of her nose, felt the way it seemed to gather energy before jumping away from the tip of her nose. It was like she could hear every drop hit the ground, every drop hit her hair and her cheeks and her lips.


The taste was something she had also disregarded in years past. The bitter, uncontaminated taste of rain. She spread her arms wide, taking in the beauty of the moment. Her moment alone, just her and the rain. The world around her and all its pain and trouble and horrible predicament disappeared almost immediately. The tan pit bull at her side disappeared as well, until it was simply Roona and the rain. Her rain.


She felt it everywhere. It crept down her arms, over her delicate breasts and to her stomach below. The cold of the fresh water was a welcome embrace to the gaunt and dirtied girl. The winds took her in their arms and swept her in circles. Gently twirling, she took the rain in her hands and guided it with her, showing it the graceful steps of a waltz. The rain that fell around her face was like two hands cupping her cheeks, lifting her spirit beyond the aloneness of her world. She left that world behind, drifting upwards into the clouds. The scent of decay was washed away by the bittersweet smells of rainwater. The cleansing shower made her feel physically lighter. Not only did it wash away her troubles and her grief but it washed away the stains of the physical terrors she had so recently endured. Rainwater mixed with dried blood in a baby pink blush as the water dragged her pain away. The cold wetness refreshed her senses, perhaps even the one she had lost. For though she could no longer hear with her ears, she found that things were even louder when she listened with her heart.


Her eyelids parted finally, revealing red-tinged hazel eyes. She blinked quickly as raindrops splashed upon her eyes, but soon stared bravely at the heavens above. The water falling from her brow mixed with the even more bitter tears that now fell from her cheeks.