Dancing In The Rain

• Kayla Jelly, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2013

It’s raining. I know before I open my eyes that outside it’s pouring down. I pad over to my window, rubbing my sleepy eyes, and pull back the musty curtains. And sure enough, the sky has let loose torrents of water, and the droplets of rain are racing each other down my window. For a moment I fumble with the old, rusty catch on my window, but in the end i get the better of it and force it open and stick my head outside, not caring about the rain washing it. I breathe in the deep, rich earthly aroma, and feel at peace with the world. But all good things must come to an end. I realize that the air is tinged with disappointment, depression and boredom. My neighbours see this shower as a curse, whereas I see it as a blessing. The fields will flourish, rain tanks will fill and people will be nourished. How is this a bad thing? I’m reflecting over this as I watch the glimmer of gold and orange from the fish in the pond. Then something in the corner of my eye makes me look up with a start. A flash of bright pink, it’s gone for a moment, then reappears, closer as it moves down my street, disappearing behind trees, so it’s hard for me to tell what the bright shape is. As it gets closer, I see it’s a girl, in a pink rain jacket, with matching hat and boots. It’s a fixating sight, and I realize with a jolt that she’s the only one taking advantage of the weather and having fun. As much as I appreciated the rain, I wasn’t doing anything to enjoy it. We’ll I’m going to join her now. I grab my raincoat, a lemon yellow colour, slip on my boots and rush outside. She sees me and gives me an odd look, which is suddenly replaced by a smile that’s a mile wide. I can see that through their wet windows, the neighbours are giving us odd looks, but I don’t care, and I don’t think she cares either, because her smile doesn’t waver. I didn’t care because I knew that life wasn’t about sheltering or waiting for the rain to stop, like our neighbours were. Life was about dancing in the rain and taking the opportunities as they come, and it seemed that this girl and I were the only people who realized this. Everything that we see around us isn’t going to be around forever, so we had to enjoy it while it lasted.