A Friend In The Rain

Dark clouds slowly made their way across the sky. Rain splattered against the window, reminding people that this day was a day to pull books off the shelf and board games out of the closet. Megan ignored the friendly reminder.

She sat on the window seat, head on her hand, staring out into the gloom. Her blue eyes stared back at her, reflecting pure boredom. Behind her in the room, toys and games littered the floor. A pile of books sat on the bed, the remains of trying to amuse herself. Being an only child, and being the kind of person who liked to play with others was hard.

Sighing, she drew a face in the fog on the window that had formed from her breath. She continued to watch the rainfall from the sky, noting how in one place, it formed the shape of a human. Blinking, she looked closer. Was this her brain’s idea of a joke? If so, it was a really good one.

The figure moved closer. Soon Megan could see that it was a girl around her age. She was wearing a simple, blue dress. The girl looked up at Megan, smiling, and motioned for her to come down.

Megan jumped up off her bed, yanked her raincoat off the coat rack by the door, and dashed down the stairs. Quietly she snuck through the house. She could hear her mother in the kitchen. Megan knew her mother did not want her to go out in the rain, she was careful not to get caught.

Choosing the back door, Megan went outside and ran to the back of the house. The girl was there waiting for her.

“Hello,” she said softly. “My name is Lynn.” She held out her hand. Megan shook it, noting how cold it was. “What’s your name?” Lynn asked.

“Megan.” Lynn smiled.

“Do you want to play with me Megan?”

“I can’t. My mom will get mad if she discovers I’m not in the house.

“She won’t ever know you’re gone. Trust me.” Megan looked back at the house. She heard her mother curse as something broke.

“Alright. But only for a little while.” Lynn smiled again and ran off, Megan on her heels. She led Megan to a small cave, and walked in. Megan hesitated. When she realized she wasn’t being followed, Lynn turned around.

“It’s alright. It’s only a tunnel. Wait till you see what’s on the other side!” Megan cautiously followed. Soon they came to the other side. Sunlight shone through the mouth of the cave. Megan walked out into the sunlight and looked around in awe.

She was standing on the edge of a small valley. A water fountain stood in the middle, filled by a stream that flowed from the distant mountains. Butterflies and other animals wandered through the valley. A playground sat in one corner.

“Come on!” Lynn shouted happily. They played for hours in the sun’s warmth. The sun slowly began to set, casting a soft orange glow over everything.

“It’s been great fun and all, but I’ve got to go now,” said Megan. 

“Oh…” said Lynn. She looked disappointed for a moment, and then brightened.

“Will you come play next time it rains?”

“Yeah! I’d love to!” Lynn smiled.

“Can you find your way home?”

“Yeah. See you later!” Megan shouted and waved as she ran back through the tunnel. Back on the other side, rain still fell from the sky. Megan dashed back to her house and snuck carefully back to her room. On the way, she stopped by the kitchen. Her mother was still in there, cleaning up pieces of broken plate. Megan realized no time had passed since she had left.

She hung her raincoat on the coat rack and spent the rest of the day thinking about Lynn.

The next day the sun shone high in the sky. Children were riding bikes and flying kites. Megan went back to the cave. The place she had seen the day before was gone. She’d hit a dead end. Vines grew up the rock walls. Very few animals could be seen or heard. An old swing set sat in the corner. Sighing, Megan looked around. Something caught her eye. Moving closer she saw it was a headstone. Kneeling, she read what was carved into it.

Lynn Peterson

1886-1901

Connoisseur of Imagination

May Your Dreams Become Reality

She stared, shocked. Then a small smile crept over her face. Lynn Peterson, her friend in the rain.