Memories of Rain

The Meteorological Department has announced a 60% chance that the monsoon will fail this year. I remember rain...

Dark clouds with brownish-yellow patches move toward us, frayed like watercolour wash. The wind gusts. A crow tries to fly into it, pumping its wings but stationary. Then stillness, and the sky lightens. I say, ‘It just went on by’ and at that moment a few fat drops splatter, there is a rising sound of water, and rain pours straight down. We move to the verandah, sit for five minutes through heavy rain; then it begins to thin out, the sky to lighten.

After rain mosquitoes begin to dance.

There’s a humid, cool breeze blowing, the sky is still slightly grey. The breeze isn’t helping our badminton game, but the eucalyptus leaves are blowing in an attractive way. It’s quiet – some voices. Once in a while the sound of a car. A dog barks, like turning a crank that needs oiling, a crow answers.