SNAPSHOT

The pouring rain roars between crashes of lightning and thunder, soaking plants, scaring animals and chasing people indoors. An orange sky reaches out to the horizon where the dying sun peers through breaks in the cloud. My nose is filled with the scent of wet earth, my ears with the lonely cry of the freight train, protesting against the storm as it rumbles through the rural interior. Although the house is still warm, the storm has cracked the heat of the day and the rain pelts cool bullets against my welcoming skin.