The Reaper's Mission- 2013

Chapter Nine- Rain

Sunday was even rainier than the previous day. Where Saturday had been full of spotty showers, Sunday was a constant, even deluge. Of course, I didn't actually get up until nearly three in the afternoon- not after my long night of gaming with Ben- but when I did, I decided it was the perfect day for a walk. 

"Where are you going?" Ben asked as I passed him heading to the door. I slid on my already tied sneakers and turned back to see him laying on the couch with his PlayStation2 controller in his lap.

"For a walk," I told him honestly. "It doesn't rain in the Underworld, so I try to enjoy it when I'm on assignments."

"Want an umbrella?" he asked. "It's pretty chilly today." I thought for a moment and then shrugged.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt." Ben tossed me an umbrella from his seemingly endless suitcase, waved goodbye, and returned to killing orcs or something on his game.

When I got outside, I realized that Ben had been right; it was indeed quite cold, though the fact that I noticed made me smile; it'd been over a hundred years since I remembered feeling cold. I instinctively flipped up the umbrella Ben had lent me and began my walk, going the same way towards the dead end that I had the other night. I wasn't entirely paying attention to where I was going, and was instead just enjoying being out in the rain.

When I was nearing the dead end by a couple blocks, I saw a figure dash across the street out in front of me and stopped to see that it was my dear assignment running about in the rain. Karolyn had no umbrella and her long, curly brown hair was sticking to her face in ringlets. When she saw me, she smiled and waved.

"Good afternoon, malady," I said as we approached one another. Karolyn curtsied and I felt myself smile more broadly.

"Good evening to you, oh fine gent," she replied. "Enjoying the rain?" I looked up at the sky and then back to her.

"Not as much as you, it seems. Would you like to stroll beneath my umbrella for a ways? You're looking a bit damp."

...

What in the hell was I saying?

I realized then that I'd forgotten about protecting myself from Karolyn's magnetic charm with all of my new decisions to live. It was too late now, though. She'd already sucked me into her smile and hypnotized me with her laugh.

"I never took you as the umbrella toting type," she was telling me, not making any move to share it with me. "I, myself prefer waking in the rain, and I had a feeling that you did too."

I eyed my umbrella for a moment before collapsing it and stuffing it in my jacket pocket.

"You're right about me again, it seems," I admitted. "My frie..ather... My father insisted that I bring it since it was cold outside."

Karolyn eyed me curiously and then shrugged. Pfew.

"My mom has given up on making me dress for the weather. She tells me I'm a free spirit with no use for chains, like my dad." She laughed a little. "I suppose she's probably right. Anyway, where are you headed? Just walking?"

I nodded.

"I've found that walking to this particular dead end and back is a perfect distance," I told her. Her face brightened at the mention of the dead end.

"Hey, it seems we have the same walking route," she said cheerily. "All my friends think I'm nuts for walking in the cold rain, but you seem to like it, so, maybe, do you want to walk with me?" I saw her face flush a bit and laughed without meaning to. "What?" she demanded, her face reddening more.