Rainfall

Part I

Prologue

It was raining heavily.  But that did not daunt the little boy from his mission.  He continued his endless trek up the hill and did not stop until he was in front of the small, smiling girl—a beautiful little girl that was drenched in the heavy rain. She shivered once, and he wrapped his arm around her. They sat under the tree together where the rain was not so heavy, and there they talked quietly like most 6 year olds would do.

          Something, of course, was wrong, as it always was in stories. His father had told him that they would be going away.  Her father had frowned sternly at her whenever she played with her friend.  The clouds in the sky were just too gray.  Sadness rang everywhere around them, emanating through their bodies.  Maybe they didn’t understand any of it then, but surely, children could feel something that was innate, something that was, well—human instinct.

  His small hands rummaged around his pockets until he fished something out.  Looking up at the girl with large, innocent gray eyes, he whispered softly, hurriedly.

‘ We’ll be friends forever, Ginny.’ His small voice was so reassuring that she believed him.  She nodded shyly as he took her hand--and when he did, she felt cool metal touching her palm. Upon opening her hand, her eyes turned wide and she giggled with delight. There in her hand lay a plain, thin, silver chain. It sparkled in the dim light, and her eyes shined with awe. She looked at her friend with admiration and silently thanked him. For a moment, they were almost solemn. For a moment. Soon, it was forgotten. Giggling, the boy grabbed her hand and sprang up.

         ‘ Let’s go play, Ginny!’ He begged.  So, together, they ran about the hill freely—their hill, where no one would disturb them.  Together they laughed and chortled and chased each other, ignoring the gray day and knowing only their friendship, however small it was.  But soon, darkness threatened to overcome, and as they parted, in their young eyes there was sadness and fear once again.  Fear that they would not see each other again.  They walked down the hill together, swinging their hands about and smiling serenely at just how wonderful their friendship was. They walked on in happy silence, ignoring the rain that would eventually wash away everything they had—even the sweet innocence they had once grasped, and eventually the friendship they had shared.

         ‘ We’ll be friends forever.’ But he promised with confidence, never the less.