Love

There was a lone woman walking in the rain. It was the well into the night and if he hadn't been gazing aimlessly out the window. Raindrops hammered the house relentlessly , filling his ears with a sound like static.His vision was hampered by the crisscrossing of the rain outside,driven at different angles by the wind.A small patch of illumination struggled bravely under a streetlight and surely, there was a man walking through it.What was she doing out in that kind of weather? It was getting dangerous. The woman reached the edge of a faint circle of light and melded into the darkness.He waited breathlessly for her to reappear at the next light. As he waited his eyes began to widen and his heartbeat began to race.It was so mysterious and exciting and so very surreal.Surely,she knew she was doing.Nobody in their mind would walk through such dangerous weather.Just as the woman reappeared , a strong gust blew a sheet of rain into her.She staggered as he heard a crescendo in volume.By the time the sound faded back to its usual static , the woman had disappeared again.He felt uncertain now. Maybe he needed help?He couldn't see her clearly but what reason could anyone have to be out at this time in the middle of the storm?What if nobody else had seen her except him?He could be the only one that could help her right now.As he hesitated, a flash of lightning lit up the darkness. He saw the woman hunched over a bundle in his arms.She was wide eyed,as if he were in panic ,but determined to protect whatever he was holding.She disappeared then promptly reappeared again at the streetlight right outside her house.He couldn't see a tiny hand reach out of the bundle as he struggled on. The road was ahead of her ,she didn't slow a beat as she continued on his path.A peal of thunder crashed overhead , making him jump.It rang and crunched and crashed in his ears.It drowned out all sound for two long seconds as he saw a pair of headlights appear out of nowhere. They both collided with the woman and just as suddenly both were gone from sight.He screamed. Running out his room , he crashed into his mother who was coming in to check on him. What's wrong sweetie. There was a woman outside in the rain . She's dead .She just got hit by a car! Inexplicably, tears overpowered him and he couldn't breathe. As he struggled to regain control of his heaving throat , his mother pulled him close.Even after all these years you still can't forget how your daddy died?A moment of surprise hit him. His dad had never crossed his mind No! I mean it,there really was a woman outside.It's okay baby, it was a terrible experience for you.And it happened on a night just like this.Angry now, he shoved his mother back and ran out the window. It was too dark to see anything , so he ran pressed his cheek against the cold pane and craned his neck for a better view"I swear ....I really saw her."His mother shook her head sadly. "It's just the rain,dear. It's a horrible , strange rain that brings back bad memories. He heard her door click shut behind him but she kept peering out the window .Nothing no sign of anything. Maybe it really had been just the rain.