Remembering The Rain - Kenny Peters (book series for 12 year olds .TXT) 📗

David looked out the window, sleepily propped on the pillow and watched the drops of condensation form at the bottom inside. It was cold inside; it was cold outside. The end of summer had come and autumn rushed in, claiming its place in line. He smiled because he saw he was laying on top of the covers, but still comfortable despite the chill.

At the foot of the bed his Jack Russell terrier “Dottie” remained curled up after briefly watching him stir. David looked down to check her and nodded back off to slumber the day away.

Quick images of fire and sounds of loud thunder wove his dreams, and he awoke abruptly several hours later to a loud roll that shook the entire house. He looked outside and considered a movie but knew that going outside could be dangerous in this storm. He didn’t know how much time had gone by since he went to sleep and he decided to get up.

David looked down and realized that he was still in the sweats from the day before. He knew that he’d been very tired and assumed that he’d just crashed out. The sweats fit the overcast mood very well so on they stayed.

He walked to the kitchen noticing the normal sounds of the household where he lived alone were not there. No television, no sounds of fans, no whirr of the heater, no neighbors in the yard tending and gossiping. The oddness stood out momentarily but it was not disturbing and surprisingly peaceful. He decided to sit in the living room in his favorite chair and watch the street and the rain that continued outside.

Cars passed in blurs; the mailman came and went without a sound – the world seemed to have its own sheen caused by the rain and the mood. Dottie walked into the room and looked at David in a puzzled, head-half-cocked way that only dogs can do. She looked at him blankly and turned around with a slight whimper to go to her bed in the corner of the living room. “She must be tired too”, David thought.

Feeling the strings of boredom coming to him he walked to the kitchen pantry door. It stuck in the frame, and he attributed that to the humidity making the wood swell. He pulled again; no luck. The pantry was well stocked, but David decided that he wasn’t really hungry and left the kitchen without touching the light switch. The overcast of the storm brought its own strange light and darkness at the same time.

David sat back down in the chair and began to ponder. He found images floating around of long lost friends, past loves lost, memories that had seemed to place themselves in their own storm and locked away for years. He remembered summers at the beach with Lori, his true love who had passed away from cancer five years before. The final days for Lori had been very rough and David had slowly grown past those memories as he tried to rebuild his life. There would always be a tinge of sadness. Today that tinge just seemed a bit heavier.

The silence was shattered with the ringing of the phone - he thought about answering it and decided he did not want to and had no interest. He let the machine pick up and wondered who was calling.

After his message, David heard a female voice crying, saying “Betty, are you there? I’m so sorry to hear the news… I just heard. I can’t believe it and I’m just stunned. Call me when you get this; I want to help.” And the line went dead.

David thought this was strange. He didn’t recognize the voice although he thought it sounded like an older woman’s voice, trembling and frail. His mother’s name was Betty. Knowing that the recorder would keep the message, David drifted back off to sleep in the living room, in his comfortable chair where everything was his and known, listening to the rain.

He awoke several hours later and realized that Dottie would need to go outside. She’d seemed to be a little distant today. He looked in her corner, and said her name softly. “Dottie...c’mon let’s go outside.” No response. “Dottie?”

Dottie was only about 6 years old and usually very alert but could sleep very soundly. Dogs get so comfortable – David figured that when she needed to go, she’d let him know. He looked closer and her sides were rising slowly with regular breath. She was just sleeping soundly. David reflected that the rain must be comforting to her too.

He thought of getting in his car and taking a drive around the hillside, but again decided that this storm made it too risky. One of the tires on his car was a little bald and he could just see himself sliding off a hill and crashing the car. “Don’t invite trouble”, his grandmother used to say. David found a grin in that thought and remembered the sweet smell of his grandmother’s house on Sundays.

Every Sunday after church David was always amazed by the spread of food that she would prepare. It was always astounding and always enough to feed ten people, which was not an uncommon occurrence.

The rain lulled David into another nap, back in his comfortably familiar bed.

Darkness fell quickly and David awoke abruptly to the foul odor of feces. He got up noticing the rain and thunder was even louder than before. And, by the back door stood Dottie, sitting quietly but looking guilty as if she knew she’d done wrong.

David said aloud “Oh, Dottie. You wouldn’t wake up!” He couldn’t be mad at her; he couldn’t even remember how long he’d slept in any of the last few days. He said “You’re still cute, don’t worry.” Dottie just looked toward David and made the same whimper she’d made earlier.

He felt he needed to relieve himself badly, not having gone to the bathroom the whole day. He went to the bathroom and sat down. There was a magazine hanging on the rack that he reached for, and it just slipped through his fingers as if it’d been touched by the wind and fell to the floor.

“Dammit!” he said and found that he couldn’t go, that the pressure seemed to be there but not the same. He thought to himself, “Great. Now I’m getting sick”. He got up and walked toward the door.

As he moved through the bathroom he became light-headed and stopped to look at himself in the mirror. He wanted to wash his face and wake up.

And as he looked up, he found a blank mirror staring back at him.

He jumped back, rubbing his eyes, but nothing changed.

“What the…” He reached forward and touched the mirror but felt nothing in return; no responding feeling from the glass. His mind began to reel.

He walked out of the bathroom and realized there were no lights on. His hand rose toward the hall switch, but it was stuck in position.

David sat down with silent force on the floor beneath him. Dottie’s eyes looked his way. She walked over to David, sat down and barked one time.

He reached down to pick her up and realized that Dottie was also stuck. She could move around but he could not grasp her. He realized that he could not feel her in his hand. He quickly wondered "Does she even see me?"

Mind racing, David ran through the living room and to the front door. The handle felt solid and firm in his hand. It opened with ease.

Outside, a sound boomed just like the disturbing thunder earlier. It was only the revving of an engine. People were gathered around the front car and were all dressed in black suits. As he approached he recognized each person.

His brothers & sisters were there, as well as cousins and uncles, some crying. David heard his brother John saying “I can’t believe he’s gone. I just can’t believe it.”

Denise, his sister, said, “David was my best friend. We had so much fun……” and trailed off in tears.

David’s mind took backward leaps as he heard his name. He remembered driving yesterday – or was it three days ago? – remembered quick flashes of fire – and then nothing before waking up in the storm.

Another, brighter flash, and David realized that he was no longer connected with his body – and that his world was suddenly, most definitely different.

Dottie not responding to him, being distant; the pantry door sticking; the horrible experience at the mirror, the unknown time escaped…..it seemed to now make sense.

He slowly went back inside, where the rain and memories were comforting, and lay back down on the soft bed. Dottie came in and curled at the foot, resting herself until the family came to get her.

David curled up and listened to the sound of the rain…..

Publication Date: 09-25-2009

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