Ellie flinched as lightning streaked the sky, illuminating the trees outside her window into hunched monsters peering in at her. She rushed to the window at the end of her bed and jerked the blind down. The house was darker than nothing and no one was home. The electricity was out and she felt so totally and completely alone. She scurried back to the corner of her bed and the wall. She hugged her pillow to her face feeling the first trickle of tears flow down her cheek.

“I hate this, I hate this, I hate this,” her muffled words absorbed into the down feathers. Why was she always so alone at the worst possible times?

Thunder boomed loudly, vibrating the walls. Ellie buried her face deeper into the pillow, letting the tears flood. She couldn’t call Liam. Her phone wasn’t charged and the house phone didn’t work. She was so scared. Why did the storm have to be so angry?

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Oh God! The monsters were trying to get in. Ellie’s heart pounded against her throat as she tried to back further into the corner.

“Go away!” She shrieked, her voice scratchy with fear.

“Ellie, it’s me. Let me in,” Liam said from her bedroom window.

She tossed the pillow to the side and darted to the window at the end of her bed. “Liam,” she cried to the pulled blind.

“Yes, let me in.”

She pulled at the blind and it snapped open. She couldn’t release the lock fast enough. Lightning lit the sky and sure enough, Liam was on the other side of the window. While her trembling fingers pried the glass open, Liam pushed up the screen. Ellie leaned back to give Liam room to crawl through. His drenched clothes and hair immediately soaked Ellie as he grabbed her into a tight hug.

“I didn’t want you to be alone,” he whispered into her ear.

Splash! Ellie hopped up and down in the puddle with her rubber boots emblazoned with yellow rubber duckies.

Liam laughed so hard he was bent at his belly.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

“You should try it!” Ellie squealed with delight. She continued to hop until the water was so displaced there was no more to splash. She ran to the next puddle with Liam on her heel.

“You’re crazy,” he called, still laughing.

She stopped and crossed her arms with a stern look on her face. She pouted.

“What’s the matter?” Liam asked as he approached her, arms outstretched.

“I got water in my boots!” She gave a sly smile and started laughing as she yanked Liam into the puddle with her.