The rain was falling slowly against the window of his house as he looked through the wavy glass. Harry’s eyes seemed to glisten with the thought of being outside with the rain, his only friend . It didn’t rain often in New Mexico, so Harry made a point to notify his parents each time the rain came. “Mommy, daddy! He’s here! My friend!” Early on, his parents would simply nod and continue their menial tasks. Most days, he would sit and watch the rain trickle down from the clouds into the dirt. As time went on, Harry would ask if he could go play with Rain. His parents always said “no.” Harry just replied “ok.” Inside, he wanted to be free.
All that went through Harry’s simple mind was, “My friend will always be my best friend. I want to be like him!” Harry never asked why he couldn’t go outside, but he always wondered why his parents didn’t approve of Rain. “Is it the way he looks?” “Is it because he’s so quiet?” Harry constantly thought these questions through his innocent young mind, but never once asked his parents why.
Sometimes Harry’s parents would leave the house for a date or business or to buy groceries. At these times, the doors were left locked; Harry was left alone. He would sink into the floor, in a kind of fetal position until it started to rain. Then Harry would spring up and yell loudly, “Hello Rain!! Mom and dad are gone, so we can talk and play together!” He would sit for hours talking to and playing games like I spy with the rain. Until his parents came home, that’s all he would ever do, just him and Rain.
Harry became a teenager. Harry still only had one friend. He was sent to a school for most of the day and wouldn’t attempt to stay home, but would always be thinking about how he could arrive back at his window as quickly as he could. Some days, he would talk to the nurse and complain about a bad headache or nausea. Other days, he would swear loudly at teachers. Because of this, he would be sent to the principal and sent home afterwards. In these instances, as soon as the car pulled up in their driveway, Harry would jump out and run straight inside, only to find his father sternly preventing him from reaching the window. “Why can’t I go!? I need to wait for him!” He wanted so badly to sit and wait, but his father sent him to his room without a word. This process continued for all four years of his high school.
Harry barely graduated from high school. Harry soon after went to a college five hours away from home. Harry didn’t complain or resist, he just went along with it because he knew his parents wouldn’t be able to hold him back anymore. In all his time, in classes, the hallway, and in his dorm room, he would sit and listen for Rain. Whenever Rain would come, and Harry would spring up and listen harder while whispering inaudibly. Classmates thought he was strange; he had no roommates, no friends except for Rain. He rarely finished his homework, he hardly ever ate enough food, and he never washed his clothes. He failed his Freshman year of college. After the 2nd semester ended, he was picked up by his mother, who made regular conversation with him the whole ride. She was trying to see if he had changed from before. He seemed to be calm, comfortable, and reasonable. She believed that they could have a normal life now, that maybe he would move on from that childish rain and on to bigger and better ways to spend his time.
When they arrived, Harry ran inside once more to be at his window. To his surprise, the window was gone. All that was left was a new-looking wall. Harry was devastated. He ran outside crying and yelling. “Rain, please! Don’t leave me!!” It was then he realized he was in the rain. Harry was with his friend. He ran around so joyfully, his parents couldn’t help but let him stay. The rain stopped, Harry went inside, Harry sat down inside casually. His parents followed in and asked, “What’s wrong Harry?” He replied, “Harry?” they repeated, “What’s wrong?” the quiet figure then answered saying, “Harry is probably in California by now. He’s having fun with his new life and freedom. Hello, my name is Rain.”