Water Solace

There is something magical about rain when it has been absent for so long. It seemed like an eternity since she could last remember the pitter patter of it on her roof while she lay in bed. The smell of ozone had all but disappeared from her memory - only to be replaced with the nauseating smell of hot, stale air.

The ground had all but puckered up - the soil cracking at the surface, little fissures running through the crisp, brown blades of grass. Her parents had tried to water the yard, but the water only collected atop the dirt, pooling, never soaking in. In the time since the last rainfall, the ground had forgotten how to open up and welcome the nourishing liquid.

But today was different. The sky was black when she woke up. Churning. Clouds coiling amongst each other. Their underbellies were swollen and hanging low. She was excited. It was hard remembering what it was like to have the sky fall around her.

In the distance she heard thunder begin to roll.

That's when the wind started to pick up and swell through her house, sending a chill down her back.

It was only a few seconds until lightning cackled over her house, illuminating her room. By the time she opened her eyes, the clouds had split open, soaking the ground. Within seconds, puddles were forming in her yard - the ground unable to do anything with the water quick enough.

This is what she had been waiting for. She cracked her window a little bit allowing the cold, damp air to invade her room. Taking a deep breath, she tasted to ozone, fresh and pungent in the back of her throat. She hadn't even noticed the rhythmic pounding on her roof, but when she did she smiled, relieved that the noise had returned.

Pressing her hand against the window, she welcomed the cool touch of the glass. It sent chills up her arm, raising her skin as they went.

She couldn't explain it.

But nothing made her feel safer than a thunderstorm.