Argentum

Prologue

If the sun has set, then it shall rise.

There is nothing to be afraid of.

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The downpour cascaded in thick sheets. Visibility was hard and only the din of the rain was audible to the ears. Going out for a run had been a terrible idea. My running shoes were soggy and I could feel the pool of water inside my socks. The long way back home was proving to be a very squelchy business. My breath misted in front of my face as I speed-walked. I stopped short when I saw the first streak of purple lightning tear the sky. I stood breathless, mouth agape. I had always thought that lightning was white in colour. In front of me, even in the low visibility, roots of electric purple latched onto the darkness and the night lit up for a split-second. The sight was awesome and fearsome. After that, I decided to run the distance home. While I was running, I had the misfortune to slip. I gained balance before I could hit the ground but ended up wetting my headphones in a puddle. Then, it was slow and steady wins the race.

I was deaf but for the song of the rain. I was blind but for the sheets of the heavens' yield. For a moment, I paused again, closed my eyes and held my breath. The shatter of the water on the pavement, the cool air surrounding me and the deafness that followed after were themselves like a strike of lightning on me. My fingers were cold and my nose was an ice cube. I bounded ahead a little faster, looking forward for the warmth home had to offer. I was just a few streets away when I tripped again.

This time, it wasn't the rain.

I had tripped on something solid and thankfully, due to my agitated scrabbling I managed to gain balance. I turned around and looked for the cause of my ignoble venture.

As it turns out, I had tripped on a..... foot.

Squinting into the darkness I could barely discern a hunched figure sitting on the grass. The person was hugging their legs which were loosely drawn up to their chest. It was the front yard of another one of those hundred colonial houses on the street which was just a few blocks away from home. The grass was slick and black and the silhouette of the person was almost like a spectre.

I was going to continue on my way, ignoring the creepy person when -

"I apologize," - a solemn alien voice from nowhere. The voice sounded cracked and hoarse.

I stood there motionless and stunned.

After the silence that pursued I decided it best that I answer. "It's... alright."

I was about to continue again when I had a sudden thought - almost an afterthought. "It's quite a downpour, you know. It would be best if you'd stay inside."

I don't know why I said it but it sounded utterly ridiculous. It seemed as if the person was crying in the rain. Lightning chose that moment to strike the sky and thunder boomed shortly after. In the flash of light I saw a face - a crying face, even in the rain. Then I heard sobbing and knew that my deduction was correct. I saw the silhouette shaking slightly. I didn't know what to do. Again, I stood motionless for a while. My hair was plastered on to my face. I was panting and soaked to the bone.

Finally, I whispered inaudibly to the rain. "You should drown away all your sadness in time like your tears in rain."

I was absolutely sure that the silhouette hadn't heard me. It looked up at where I was standing. It said nothing. For a brief second we looked at each other, unaware of the rain. Then I turned and headed down the path to home pulling my jacket tighter around me. It had just gotten a lot colder.

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Greetings Readers!

Thanks a lot for reading this! My previous prologue was (honestly put) - freaking horrible. I was sleep-deprived and practically half dead when I wrote it. Because of 12th grade we have school every Saturday and I also had my SAT exam the day before I had uploaded it. Thank you to those who read the previous prologue for bearing with the bad writing. Fortunately, you have to suffer no more - here's the edited version (I am doing this after bagging more than eight hours of sleep). So thanks again for continuing to read!

I started writing this story ages ago. I was so sick of enduring cliché that I decided I wanted something different and never heard of before. So guys here I present to you - my hand at different. Hope you like it.

PS: The prologue was a new addition - I previously didn't have a prologue.

I hope you guys continue to read and I would love it if you could comment your honest opinions and your thoughts. Constructive criticism is readily welcome.

Also, please - pretty please - vote!

Smiles and potatoes,

SM