Forever Dream — (Chapter 8) The Rain
Tags: Short Story, Fiction, Series, Forever Dream, Magical Realism

I hate the rain. It reminds me of everything wrong with “this life”. The smell of petrichor mocks me and the quiet drizzles sound like a petty witch giggling at my plight.

Ami and Yumi, however, enjoy the rain like mermaids enjoy drying their hair on ship decks and like sirens enjoy feeding on unsuspecting souls. Therefore, today again, I leave the house I wake up in to cycle down to Yumi’s house with Ami following close behind.

It’s been five days since I’ve woken up at “my house” and I haven’t been sent back since. This is the longest I’ve been here at a stretch; it makes me wonder if some cosmic power is on my side. Helping me stay back.

Ami giggles loudly riding past me, breaking my reverie and I laugh out loud chasing her. The muddy water splashes her sundress, instantly wetting the pink cotton hem. She gasps dramatically and speeds on behind me, desperately trying to splash some mud on me in liking.

By the time we reach Yumi’s home, Ami’s skirt looks like a dirty rag from a 1920’s cowboy movie used to clean beer mugs.

We yell for Yumi outside her family home, pressing the doorbell over and over until her mother comes running down the steps to usher us in. She pretends to be mad about our sudden visit but her voice carries adoration more than any resentment that she wishes it would portray.

“You girls really need to get a life,” she mumbles, setting a plate of kasutera cake each in front of us. “Why are you always coming down here to bother us?”

“Aww~” I sing as I move to sit beside Yumi’s mother. She whines and pushes me away but when I persist she doesn’t try any harder. “Come on, auntie. You would be so bored if we didn’t drop by everyone once in a while.”

“I would thank Kami-sama the day you two stopped trespassing my property!” She exclaims, no threat in her words. “Yumi! Come down here already and take these hooligans away, would you?!”

Ami and I giggle at her insistence that she hates us, and wave Yumi over when she steps down the stairs. We quickly finish our cakes while Yumi has a light breakfast and then head out into the rain. Yumi’s mother runs after us before we step out, reminding her to, “take your umbrella! Silly girl! And you!” She turns a stern eye at Ami who straightens up under her glare. “If you track mud into my house once more, you're banned for life!”

Ami snickers cheekily at the women but she does promise to never track mud in again. I look at the hem of her skirt and her shoes, muddy and sticky. And a dull ache fills my heart as we walk away.

“Did you two bring money?” Yumi asks, breaking my train of thoughts. “Or are you planning on freeloading in Grandpa’s noodle shop again?”

“Freeloading is the plan, my man,” Ami sings, putting on her raincoat.

“Besides, Ichiraku Ramen is the best ramen in the town,” I say, mounting my bicycle while I wait for Yumi to put on hers. “And if weren’t for us, the ramen shop would’ve been reconstructed into some shopping complex ages ago! Ami and I were the ones who held that protest for days on end to keep it open!”

“Exactly!” Ami excitedly nods as we start riding down the grass fields towards the beach. “Give is some credit okay. We practically own twenty-five per cent of that shop.”

“Sure~” Yumi rolls her eyes and continues leading the riding party, as she says, “why don’t you two start paying the electricity and water bills and start stocking up inventory and wait tables on the weekend, then?”

Both Ami and I ignore her words as she quietly snickers at her own sarcasm.