On rainy days

Lightning strikes were visible just beyond my window and the thunder clapped afterward. “BOOM!” I flinched, even though this had been going on for the past few hours. Nevertheless, I carried on with my nightly routine; specifically, I was eating dinner in front of the television. Then, I heard a knock at my door, or at least, what I thought was a knock. I dismissed this, who in their right mind would be outside in this heavy thunderstorm?

Whoever it was, knocked again. This time, I was sure that there was someone at the door. I looked into the peephole, to see a man with a raincoat at the door. Out of curiosity, I answered, “Yes? What do you need?” He looked relieved and replied, saying he needed shelter from the pouring rain and that his car broke down. Something felt different about this person, as if I knew him, but I didn’t. There would be no harm in letting him in, if there were something to happen to me, my neighbors would know immediately.

Another clap of thunder resonated throughout my home and I allowed the man inside. I wouldn’t want to be stranded in the middle of a thunderstorm, so why would I allow this man to be stranded outside? Besides, I could use some company for the night. “You can dry yourself off in the bathroom.” I gestured toward the bathroom door, just to the right of the living room area. I cleaned up the trail of water behind him, my mind racing with a few questions. Who is he and why hadn’t I seen him around the neighborhood? Regardless, I shall entertain him to the best of my abilities.

I began to prepare a serving of my dinner for him, beef stew with a side of rice. He exits the bathroom, damp but not dripping wet, and approaches me. I turn to him, plate in hand, “Would you like to join me for dinner?” He smiles warmly and accepts my offer, taking the plate out of my hands. Our fingers brushed briefly against each other and I felt a jolt of energy surge through me. Weird. I pick up my half-eaten plate of food from the coffee table and transfer it to the dining table, where I sit down with the strange yet respectable guest. 

“I’m Matt.” He looked at me, as if expecting a reaction. “Nice to meet you Matt, I’m Julia.” He nodded and continued to eat the food in a polite manner. “This is such a spacious house, do you live with someone else?” He asked in a curious tone. I felt my chest get heavier as I recalled some painful memories. “Well, I’ve only been living here for two years. I moved when my husband died in Typhoon Yolanda.” A silence fell upon the dining table. He looked at me earnestly, as if wanting to say something, when he spoke up. 

“Julia, what was your husband’s name?” I lightly chuckled, “Matt, short for Matthew. You know, you eat in the same way as him.” A grin spread across his face, an expression of joyful relief. As I took a sip of water, I raised an eyebrow, wondering what made him so happy. “Julia. It’s me. Matt!” I promptly choked on my water out of shock. At that moment, his voice sounded the same as my Matt, but he looked different. “What do you mean? Surely you don’t mean you’re my dead husband?” I stumbled over my words, blinking rapidly at the stranger sitting across from me.

“I know you’re not going to believe me, but hear me out and let me explain.” He began to glow, not in the way that beautiful people do when they are happy, but in the sense that he was literally emitting light. He transformed into what I can only describe as a figure of water, as if water was suspended in the air and formed to create a humanoid shape. I stood up from my chair, not knowing what to think. “I didn’t really die in the typhoon. I’m... I’m actually a water spirit. I consumed my physical form guiding you to safety when the typhoon struck.” 

I was processing his words, but to no avail. I stood there shell shocked, mouth agape. His voice had suddenly changed to one that sounded like my husband, but he was still in his ‘water spirit form.’ “How would I know for sure that you’re telling the truth?” My heart pounded and I was waiting to wake up from what was surely a dream. “See you on the other side.” I was snapped back into reality when I heard what he said. “That’s... That’s what Matt said to me before we got separated in the typhoon. I thought he meant that he was ready to die but... Now I don’t understand.” The water spirit glowed again, coming back down to his chair. Once he stopped glowing, I saw my husband’s face again. He looked at his own hands and arms, and looked at himself in the reflection of his spoon. 

“So you finally believe me. I couldn’t show up in my original form before because it would freak you out. So I decided to test you, to see if you would welcome a complete stranger in your home.” I felt tears prickling at my eyes, as I exhaled a breath of relief. “It’s really you, isn’t it?” I was itching to leap at him and hug him, but I was still in shock from the events that occurred in the past ten minutes. “My love, I think you already know the answer to that.” 

A sob came out of my mouth as I rushed over to his side to hug him. I melted in his arms as I felt the same sensation I did before, the same sensation that I felt whenever I would hug him at the end of a work day. “It seems that the rain has finally let up.” He whispered, still hugging me back. “On rainy days like this, I would light a candle for you.” I said lightly, pulling back to look at him. He was crying as well, but the smile that I love greeted me first. “I love you, Julia.”

End.