I Only Want to See You Laughing in the Blue Rain

It was Spring Break and it seemed to be going too fast. Time flying, like a loose kite in a gale force wind. 

Preston was standing by the window. He held a pensive look. His younger sister was sitting at her desk, drawing with markers and crayons on a sketch pad. 

Preston casually looked out the window and gazed up at the sky. Gray puffy clouds greeted his eyes. Startled, he quickly pointed to them. "Looks like rain...again," he said. He then noticed the leaves on the trees beginning to sway gently. "Man, it better not. Please tell me it's not going to." He directed this to his younger sibling, turning around to toss her a stern look. 

Now, his sister looked up. Her blue eyes shining.

"What's wrong with a little rain?" she asked, smiling. "Are you scared? Don't be such a chicken." 

"Tabitha, please no," Preston pleaded. "I can't handle another soggy day. Not again." 

Tabitha blinked once and Preston braced himself.

He waited, fearfully. 

Finally, she didn't blink again and instead looked back at her drawing, allowing Preston a small amount of relief. 

"I love rain," she said, "it brings the flowers."

With just those words, his relief disappeared. 

Tabitha looked past him, setting her gaze on the window. She saw the gray puffy clouds and frowned. “Well, that’s not good enough,” she muttered. Then, she picked up a dark crayon and went back to her drawing. 

Preston saw this and sighed heavily. He turned back to the window and was immediately dismayed. The puffy gray clouds that had indicated a possible rainstorm, were quickly becoming darker...and darker...right before his eyes.

"Can't you give me a break? Can't you just be normal?" he asked. 

The reply from his sister came quick. "Nope," Tabitha said. 

"What if I let you use my V.R. headset? You can use it today. I won't even complain." 

"Nope," Tabitha repeated. Preston peeked back at his sister. She now grabbed a black marker. She began using it. 

Preston braced himself. He willed himself to not look again at the clouds, but failed. He looked. Sure enough, they were turning black. 

"What do you want?" he asked. "Name it, and it's yours. I'll even give you money." 

"Ha!" Tabitha laughed. "You have no money." 

"Yes, yes I do!" Preston said emphatically. "I saved some from my birthday." 

"Hmmm," Tabitha said, pausing the black marker. "How much?" 

"Name it! How much for you to stop?" Preston asked quickly. 

"Hmmm," Tabitha considered. "Got twenty-five dollars?" 

"YES!" 

"Okay, but I want it upfront. Cold hard cash. Bring it to me now...or else." 

Preston ran like the wind, like the wind from an advancing rainstorm, directly to his room. He grabbed his cash, all of it. He would sort it out in front of her, he didn't care. 

Moments later, he plunked down the correct amount. Tabitha picked up the bills with pleasure. 

"So," Preston said, "we have a deal?" 

"Well," she said. "Yes and no." 

Preston tried and failed to keep his emotions in check. "What do you mean?" The question came out with force, almost like straight line winds blowing past a boarded-up window. 

"Well, you know me. I hate starting a work of art and not finishing it." 

"Give me back my money!" Preston said immediately. He didn't care anymore. 

"Wait, wait. Not so hasty," Tabitha said. "We can still have a deal." 

"What do you mean?" 

"What's your favorite candy? And don't lie, 'cuz I already know the answer." 

Preston thought about it for a moment. It was true. She did know. Pretty much everyone in his life knew. "Crunch bars," he finally answered. "You know I love chocolate crunch bars." 

"Yes," Tabitha said with a smile. "Yes, you do...and guess what?" 

"What?" Preston asked, not having any idea where this was going. 

"They are so easy to draw." 

After she said this, she grabbed another marker. It was a brown one. She drew a little bit, then she grabbed a blue crayon. She stopped and seemed unsure for just a moment. 

"Don't they have blue wrappers?" she asked. 

"You mean the crunch bars? Yes. Yes, they do," Preston answered, his eyes riveted on his sister's hand holding the blue crayon. He watched as she began using it. Behind him, he suddenly heard a sound. 

It sounded like wind. It sounded like rain. 

A light wind? A light rain? He didn't turn around. He couldn't. He was becoming too angry. What did he pay for? This was so unfair! 

Tabitha was concentrating on her drawing, seemingly oblivious to her brother's cold angry stare. Finally, she seemed satisfied. She looked up at Preston, noticing his red flushed face and furrowed brow for the first time. 

She smiled. 

Then she blinked...twice. 

Suddenly, the sound of the soft wind or light rain, or whatever that was, stopped, but only to be replaced with a different sound. It was a muffled sound, which could easily be mistaken for the sound of hail. 

Preston heard this and closed his eyes. "You...you didn't," he said. "Tell me you didn't." 

"What?" Tabitha asked 

"You made it worse. Why? Why did you make it worse?!" 

"Hmmm," Tabitha muttered. "Are you sure? Are you sure I made it worse?" she asked. 

She could tell her brother was trying hard to determine what he was hearing outside the window. She smiled. 

Preston's eyes were still closed. The muffled sound continued. He concentrated on it. His mind picturing pellets of ice streaming downward. Ice covering the lawn. The driveway. The trees. The neighbor's house. 

"You sure you’re not hearing plastic?" Tabitha asked. Her blue eyes shining. 

"Plastic?!" Preston asked. "Why would it be..." 

He listened. Muffled sound. Not hail. Plastic? 

Now, his mind pictured pellets of plastic streaming downward. Plastic covering the lawn. The driveway. The trees. The neighbor's house. 

"Blue plastic," Tabitha said. 

Preston's mind again made the adjustment. 

"Small blue plastic wrappers filled with..." 

Chocolate? Thought Preston, immediately. 

"Filled with chocolate," Tabitha said, as if reading his mind. 

Now, Preston opened his eyes. He saw Tabitha smiling at him. "Want to go outside?" she asked. 

Preston, still refusing to look out the window, now bolted for the front door of their house. Tabitha walking calmly behind him. 

When Preston reached the front door, he stopped and took a deep breath. He slowly reached for the door handle. He turned it. Opened it. He now looked at the outside world. 

His favorite candy. Everywhere. Crunch bars. Chocolate crunch bars in their blue plastic wrappers...covered the lawn. The driveway. The trees. The neighbor's house. 

Tabitha was now at his side. "Well?" she asked. 

"You can keep the money," Preston said with a breathless smile. "It's all yours." 

"I know," Tabitha said, smiling. 

Preston stood transfixed. Then, after a long while he came to his senses. Possibilities running through his mind. 

Finally, he spoke again. 

"By any chance,” he said slowly to his sister, “are you good at drawing Tater Tots?" 

"Hmmm. Depends," she said. "How much money you got left?"