Ants on a hot tin roof

Weed filled cracks snaked through the concrete paths that wound their way though the sparse garden beds that surrounded the sterile nursing home. Resting quietly out in the garden, a wheelchair bound old lady sat staring up at the grey clouds. Her frail body slumped uncomfortably in the chair. Her light grey, almost white hair had been fluffed up to cover her exposed scalp and her skin hung lose and wrinkled. Beside her sat a nurse, massaging her hands. The nurse was young and had a kind face. Soft auburn curls had begun to fall out of her tight bun and gently framed her face, reminding the old lady of her mother.

"Nice to finally have a break in the rain," the nurse said to the old lady. "Although it looks like it may start up again soon."

The old lady nodded and continued looking up at the sky.

"I don't know how anyone can find any joy in the rain." the nurse continued as she smiled at the sparse blooms that were finally catching a brief ray of sunshine.

The old lady looked at the nurse, as if she wanted to say something. Instead of replying, she just stared intently at the nurse. The nurse noticed her staring and she smiled at the old lady. She could tell the old lady wanted to say something, but instead of pressing the issue she just let the old lady sit peacefully, enjoying the weather.

The old lady's mind, however, had wandered, taking her instantly to a place that she knew well. And now, instead of looking at the nurse, she was staring at a small, home made tree house that sat above in a tall flowering gum tree in a dry and dusty back yard.

The tree house had been painstakingly constructed with found materials. The wood and tin were well weathered and had been reclaimed when the house it sat beside had been renovated.

Inside, a small girl dressed in a light cotton dress lay on her back. Sweat matted hair tangled around her face and her dress stuck to her torso. She had lifted up her dress so that her legs might try to catch any small breeze that floated on by.

The young girl lay still as she watched the small dark mechanical bodies efficiently file, one by one in a line. As they made the arduous journey upwards, she marveled at their ability to scale vertical heights that far exceeded their own. Once they had made their way up the walls, they squeezed through the cracks in the joins of the old recycled tin roof that covered the tree house. The oppressive heat bore down on her and she wondered if they were in search of water to help them escape the heat.

‘Silly ants,’ she thought. ‘Don’t they know that hot air rises?’

This was something she had heard her father say more than once before, although she never really understood what he had meant.

‘Perhaps they are trying to reach the clouds for water?’

Gazing up at the roof, the young girl's eyes noticed the window. Through it she could see the sky and she came to the realization that the ants may be onto something. The previously cloudless sky was now slowly beginning to fill with silver tinged clouds. A sight she hadn’t seen in a long time.

Rolling over onto her tummy, she could feel the hard wood pressing into her skin. She peered through the cracks of the reclaimed wood that had been roughly chopped and unevenly hammered together by her father. Staring below at the dry grass that lay down underneath the tree, she thought of the way it crunched under her bare feet, leaving little pinpricks in her skin. She smiled, hoping that the clouds might finally bring some rain to soften it.

In the distance, she could hear the screen door open and slow and heavy footsteps making their way across the yard towards her. Just as she expected the tattered old curtain that covered the tree house door to be swept aside, the footsteps stopped. She lay still, unsure of what was going on. And then she heard a strange tapping sound coming from the recycled tin roof that covered the tree house. Curious and confused, she sat up.

“I can’t believe it,” came a familiar gruff voice from outside the tree house.

She looked out of the window to see a large, heavy set man in flip flops, a grubby singlet and shorts spinning around the yard, doing a wild man dance. He noticed her little face peering at him in amusement.

“Come on out, you’re not gonna believe it…it’s finally raining!” her father yelled in excitement.

She made her way to the door of the tree house and he scooped her up and spun her around the yard. Fat drops of rain hit her face and her small glasses began to fog up. She couldn’t remember the last time it rained or the last time she had seen her father so happy and excited. Sweet relief filled the air and the sound of cheers from neighbors filled their ears.

And even though the rain was short lived, the memory of the joy that the brief rain shower brought stayed with the girl forever.

The old lady looked at the nurse just as a few fat drops of rain hit her right on the top of the head. 

"Come on, let's get you back inside," the nurse exclaimed as she gathered up their things and began to push the old lady out of the rain.

The old lady's arms flailed as if to say "No....leave me here!" But because a series of small strokes had stolen her ability to talk, she was unable to express her desire to relive that moment. And so, instead, she was forced to watch the rain fall down from the safety of the window in her room, forever longing to feel the joy of that day again.