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Short story about a depressed man and how an unexpected person changes his life. |
| The shadowy skyscrapers rose towards the clouded sky. The subtle, yet familiar sound of thunder could be heard in the distance. I turn the corner, walking past others on the street who were searching for a refuge before the storm came. Everyone with their own agenda. Everyone with their own lives. Home. Families. Love…Love. That word hadn’t come into my mind for a long time. Nor was there any reason for it too. I came into this world alone and that’s how I planned to leave it. Alone. These thoughts (and regrets) were interrupted by a cold raindrop falling upon my cheek. The streets wet surface reflected the evening traffic. Cars rolled by wiping streams of rain off their windshields. Pedestrians huddled underneath the covering of the local grocery store. A young couple walked shoulder to shoulder underneath a small umbrella, offering them little protection from the downpour. Raincoat and hat on, I trudged along the sidewalk, paying little attention to the city’s evening tide. Unfortunately, at the time, I had no umbrella in my hand. All I had was my brown raincoat, a pair of brown slacks, and a hat. I didn’t need anything else. The world had nothing to offer me; nothing that was useful. Life had pretty much bent me over and left me with nowhere to go. A cold raindrop fell into my eye, bringing me back to reality. I silently laugh to myself. This is my reality. I walk towards a small local park and sit myself on a wooden bench, rain still storming down. No purpose in trying to escape the rain. I had nowhere to go. I lifted my head and looked ahead towards the lake that sat in front of me. The once blue, undisturbed waters were now gray; the heavy raindrops sending a multitude of ripples throughout the waters, creating chaos in the once calm water. A few moments passed before I heard it. Someone singing. It sounded like a young child. I turned to the towards the sound of the voice. There, about twenty yards away, was a young girl, no older then ten years, dancing and singing joyfully, oblivious to the downpour. Her long, dark hair flowed behind her as she spun around on one leg like a ballet dancer. She wore a long, white dress and a wide brimmed white hat. Around the hat was a pink ribbon, upon which a small pink rose sat in front. In her hand she held a stunning red umbrella. She twirled it around herself effortlessly. As she danced around, she sings a song. I can’t hear the words, but each note brings a glimpse of hope in these stormy times. A glimpse of hope for, perhaps, myself. Lost within my thoughts once again, I am somewhat startled to see that the little girl has stopped singing. And dancing. As a matter of fact, she stares right into my eyes. We both stayed in our positions, motionless. The only movement that could be seen were the sheets rainfall that fell between us. This cant be good, I thought too myself. She’s going too run and scream to her parents telling them that some old guy was staring at her in the park. I thought I should say something; something that would make this situation less distressing. But there was one problem: I didn’t know what to say. She held my gaze. She wasn’t looking at me. She was looking into me. Suddenly, she moved. Towards me. Still, she held an unnerving gaze upon me. Ten yards away. I could see now that she was wearing a pair of white tennis shoes. A minor and unimportant detail of course, but an awkward sight nonetheless. Kids are kids I suppose. Five feet away. I sat there doing nothing. Absolutely nothing. She stopped just two feet from the bench I was sitting on. The dark clouds continued to move inward. The torrent of rain seemed as though it would never end. Just like this moment, it would never end. But the moment was broken with a smile. She looked up to me, eyes glowing with a resemblance to emeralds. Her eyes broke through the gray surroundings. Her smile brought such metaphoric light to dullness that encircled us. She made me smile back. Then she spoke. “Here”, she said as she offered up her red parasol, “so you don’t get wet and catch a cold.” I slowly lifted my hands and accepted her gift, as if I had just received a priceless treasure. “Thank you” I somehow managed to say to her. “You can keep it” she said, still wearing that smile across her face, “so that whenever it rains, you have something to keep you dry.” And with those last words, she turned around and started skipping away back towards the city streets. As she departed, I could hear her song. Then, she disappeared into the distance. I looked down and stared at the gift that she left in my care. After a minute or two, I stood up, stretched my arms, and opened the umbrella over my head. Then, I began to walk towards the city with newfound hope above me. |
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