6/4/22 Drowning in the Rain

 Drowning in the Rain

As she walked back to her home, on a bright spring day, the clouds suddenly became dark and rain fell harshly on the ground. After mere seconds she was drenched, head to toe, not prepared for the surprise rain. 

She was not upset though. It had been so long since she had felt the embrace of water. Although not covered completely, the rain fell so hard it created the illusion she was submerged. It became hard for her to breathe as streams of water poured down her face. 

She tried to convince her brain that she was not in fact under water, and that it was just a heavy rain, but her brain would not see reason. It continued to strain her breathing, she even had to hold her breath at times. 

It was such a strange feeling, drowning in rain. She couldn’t help it, her mind would not let her breathe properly, she had to get out of it. Looking around for the nearest form of shelter from the rain, she spotted a bus stop, with a glass ceiling. Quickly she ran and ducked under the glass roof.

Her breaths were heavy as she regained the air back into her lungs. She knew she was stuck here until the downpour ended. With her own brain trying to drown her, she would have to hold her breath all the way home, which was much too far a distance. She was stuck in this bus stop, until the downpour finished.

Quietly she sat, and watched the rain, praying it would end soon so she could go home. Her clothes were so heavy from the rain and chill began to set in. Every little breeze from a passing car, sent shivers through her body. 

Besides sitting and freezing in her drenched clothes, her only other option was if a bus came along, but looking at the schedule, there were no buses due anytime soon. She couldn’t continue like this for very long, she needed to get home and get dried off.

She stood up and took a deep breath. Bravely she walked out into the still heavy rain. She started running, her clothes sloshing around her body as she ran. The extra work made her oxygen deplete even faster, her breath was fading, she couldn’t hold it much longer. 

Her lungs began to ache, she needed to breathe. She let out the breath then took many more, all strained by the feeling of being submerged. She managed to regain a deep enough breath and held it in once again as she continued her sprint for home.

It was so close, she could see her house a few blocks down. She ran as fast as she could and managed to reach her front door. Her face turned red as she desperately fiddled with her key, clumsily trying to put in the lock. She managed to open her door and practically fell inside her home.

She gasped for air as she shivered on the floor. Kicking her door shut, she shakily stood and found herself some dry clothes. Now curled up in a ball on her couch, her eyes were wide open as she had flashbacks of drowning, the water consuming her face, making it impossible to breathe. She knew it was all in her head, and that she was never in any danger, but the memories felt so real. ‘Why does my brain torment me in this way?’ she thinks to herself.

From that day on, she was always prepared with either a jacket or umbrella, never wanting to experience that horrible feeling ever again.

The End

6/4/22