Rain, Part 2

This is a collaboration between my wife and myself. Please read part 1 first at this link.

http://atyaph.blogspot.com/2010/11/rain-part-1.html

Rain, Part 2

It was only a stroke of luck that it was raining that afternoon.

That’s exactly what Mark was thinking as he walked away from the bus stop where he met Emily. He was happy with his life. He had a good job, a wonderful son, and a beautiful wife who loved him and whom he loved. Or so he thought.

As the rain poured on, it made a hollow sound as it hit the felt of his hood. The wet sloshing of cars passing by, the sound of laughter as the kids jumped into puddles splashing their friends. But, all that went unnoticed as his mind was stuck rewinding a scene from his past.

Everything went perfectly. He carried her books as they walked home, the casual lunch where he told her how pretty she looked, and the long conversation on their way home about the future. She wanted to have a family, and so did he. They spoke about the kind of people they wanted to marry, and she described someone who might have passed for Mark, and he described her exactly.

“I don’t understand.” He said to himself.

That day was perfect in every way. Everything was perfect. Even the kiss was perfect. It wasn’t like he forced it on her. They were standing in front of her house, saying their goodbyes, and he went in as gracefully and smoothly as a gentleman should. She was about to kiss him back, he felt it, but then she pulled away. She yelled at him and kicked him out of her life. That was the end of it.

He only saw her in school after that, but his attempts to talk to her were always greeted with a cold shoulder. He moved away to go to college, and on one of his vacations back home he got together with Tessa. One thing led to another and the next thing he knew, she broke the big news to him. Tessa was pregnant. His mother wasn’t happy about that. As the principle of the school in the town, she couldn’t allow something like this to happen. What would the parents think if they knew she couldn’t control her own child. She wouldn’t last a day, the parents would lynch her. So within the month, Tessa and Mark were married. They left the town to get away from their parents, and raise their child in a less judgmental environment.

He shook himself out of his thoughts as he approached his friends house. His son Jason was inside playing with the other kids. It was a birthday party or play date or something, he didn’t know and he didn’t care. He just knew Jason was having fun. At four years old he was bright for his age. He could already string long sentences together. He had his mother face, but he had his father sharp blue eyes. His mind wandered again. He wondered what Jason would have looked like if Emily and him had got together, if that kiss hadn’t broken them up.

He shook himself out of his thoughts again. Why was he thinking about this now? That’s history now, and he can’t do anything about it. Why was she in his thoughts, after he had forgotten her for so long?

“Damn you Emily” He muttered under his breath

Jason, already in his rain coat, was waiting for him. He took him by the hand and started walking home.

It was only a stroke of luck that it was raining that afternoon.

Azure and the Glass Castle

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a beautiful land ruled over by a kind king. The king loved many things, he loved his people, he loved his land, but what he loved most of all was the beautiful skies above his land. The glorious day sky was like the purest sapphire. The sun was never too hot, and the clouds floated gracefully without a care. The evening sky was however, a most spectacular sight. Millions of stars shone in the night sky, their brilliance making even the brightest gems at the local jewelers look shamefully dull in comparison. The moon was truly the king of the night. The white orb of brilliance caused many of the local poets and minstrels to sing praise to the wondrous majesty of its grace and beauty.

The king so loved the beauty of the sky, he built a castle. This, however, was no ordinary castle, as this castle was made of glass. Glass walls, glass ceilings and even glass furniture. In the day, the light of the sun would shine of the castle, causing it to sparkle like a huge diamond. People from all over the land, and even some of the neighboring lands, would sometimes just sit and gaze at its beauty. The castle was visited by many people from across the lands, and was heralded as a wonder, unlike any the world has ever seen.

After a long and happy life, the king passed away. The kingdom was sad at the loss of such a kind and generous king. However, the king had left behind him his young daughter the princess.

The princesses name was Azure. The king named her that for his love of the color of the day sky, which matched the color of her eyes. The princess was loved by all, for she had learned to love her people and her land as did her father. She was a kind ruler who took pity on the weak and needy. She could usually be found in the kitchens feeding some poor travelers who were hungry, or out visiting the sick farmers offering her sympathy and the royal healers to help them recover.

Azure was a kind women by day, but by night she suffered greatly for while she loved her father the king, she did not share the same feelings towards the castle. She found it very difficult to sleep at night, as the bright light from the moon and stars would keep her awake. Then would come dawn, and the even brighter light of the sun would chase away any hope of sleep for poor Azure.

Night after night she would lay awake, cursing at her misfortune. “Why did he have to build it of glass? Why couldn’t he build it out of stone like everyone else?” She would ask herself each night. And each night, she never got an answer to her question. The moon kept glowing and stars kept twinkling and the sun kept shining.

The princess spent many months in this fashion, and eventually she succumbed to her fatigue and fell ill. She withered like a flower without water, her bright eyes lost their brilliance as the shadows under them grew darker every day. Her cheerful attitude was replaced by a short temper, and fits of rage and bouts of crying.

Her servants, fearing for their mistresses health, fetched the greatest doctors in the land to find a cure for her ailment. Many healers arrived and many cures were tried. Sleeping herbs, soft music, one doctor even told her to spin herself around until she fell dizzy and slept, but that did nothing except to make her feel even more ill than before. They tried covering her eyes with all sorts of fabrics, but the princess's sensitive skin would start to itch horribly should she touch anything but the finest silks, and the finest silks were not thick enough to keep out the light.

Alas, the poor princess feel deeper into her illness, and no doctor could find a cure for her. The kingdom feared for the worst.

One day, a poor merchant passed through the kingdom trying to sell his wares. As he passed by the castle, he saw the withered princess sitting in the garden crying softly to herself. He quietly walked into the garden.

"Pray tell me, what ails you beautiful princess"

"I cannot sleep" she replied weakly

"What horror keeps you awake while your land sleeps?"

"No horror other than this glass castle. I cannot sleep for the light shines too bright"

"Will you listen to the advice of a poor merchant?"

"I have listened to doctors and healers, some of whom were jesters. I see no harm in taking your kind advice"

The merchant smiled and told her his secret remedy.

"T’is not the light that chases away your slumber, but only your attempts to shut it out my princess"

"Jest not with me merchant! Begone!"

"I jest not your highness. Tonight, when you retire to your bed, look into the moon, and allow its light to comfort you. The moon hates you not, t’is only doing what it knows to do."

"I shall try your method merchant, but I do not think it will help"

"I bid you comfort and ease young princess. Farewell"

As he walked away, the princess saw the sun gently setting in the west, and decided it was a good time to try the merchants advice. She did not know whether her illness will allow her another day.

As she lay in her bed, squinting up into the bright moon and silently cursing the foolish merchant and her own foolishness at having believed his so called remedy, she thought back to her father, and to her friends, and to all who loved her. All who have tried to cure her while she was ill, and before she knew it, she was no longer squinting at the moon. Instead, she found the light bearable, even more so, comforting, soothing and relaxing. She looked up at the moon, and she saw another world. a world of peace and happiness. a world of butterflies, and fairies and unicorns. a world where dreams came true, and no one grew old or ill. It was a peaceful place

As the first rays of sun shone over the horizon, and gently nudged the princess awake, she realized she had slept through the entire night. She felt refreshed, and energetic. The moons healing light had vanished her illness overnight.

The kingdom rejoiced at the princesses miraculous recovery, and they sang and danced for many days, and the princess in honor of her loving father ordered that all homes in the kingdom have glass roofs, so that all may enjoy the beauty of the sky as her father did before.