1.A brief moment of Joy

I was exhausted after two hours of studying. As soon as I wrapped up the assignment I was working on , a heavy sigh left my mouth and my head slumped down on the desk. It felt like I hadn't slept for weeks,  been hit by a train, and every movement was like running a marathon all wrapped up in one.

The distant roar of the thunder informed me of the approaching rain which reminded me of my upcoming tests.

My mood soured further and I got up, closing my textbooks and heading towards the open window through which I caught a glimpse of the darkened sky.

Soon enough the rain droplets started to drizzle down. It felt as if the heavy clouds had enough of their burden and was now letting off all their problems in the form of rainfall. As I continued watching the sky pour out its worries simultaneously my mind started feeling lighter.  Rain droplets shot out from the sky like arrows and hit the surface of the earth. The color of the trees transformed into dark green as the water washed away all the dust. The rain fell down in torrents and created a rhythmic pattern.

I extended my hand to feel the droplets of water shooting down from heaven.

A peaceful harmony wafted through my ears and I realized someone nearby had started playing guitar.  I decided to treat myself to some hot chocolate. Picking up my favorite story book, I flipped to a random chapter and sat down by the window. As I dived inside the story, I got lost in a trance, leaving behind my worries and escaping into another reality.

The pitter patter sound of the falling rain along with the occasional thunder served as  background music to the nostalgic chords that the stranger played.

My eyes swept over the inked words providing comfort to my soul as I took occasional sips of the mouthwatering hot chocolate from the mug clutched in my hand.

Everything felt so serene and I felt like stopping time or putting this moment in loop. Glancing up at the sky I watched nature's celebration. The storm was a twirl of ballet  dancers all clad in black and gray, as they danced to the roar of thunder's drum and lighting accompanied them in the show's endgame.

The picturesque view along with the soft beautiful chords of the background music unconsciously etched a smile on my face.

The air smelled like nostalgia. The alluring smell of petrichor mixed with the old pages of books wafted through my nostrils , cooling down my heart.

Time flew by as I lost myself in a brief moment of joy. But all good things  have to come to an end. Slowly the tempo of the rain came down until only straggling droplets of rainwater hanging from leaves were left behind.

The sun started peeking out from behind the gray clouds who were bidding farewell. The guitarist stopped playing their music .

As my mind crashed back to reality my little bubble of joy was poked into being nonexistent.

The rain which was previously giving me peace now once more felt gloomy . All my worries came crashing back as pessimistic thoughts put up their stations inside my head. I sat helpless for a few minutes before getting up and replacing the story book in my hand with a textbook as I was feeling guilty allowing myself to get distracted.

But does a small moment of much needed peace count as wasted time?

As my eyes roamed around the piles of books and papers strewn around my desk, water started pooling around my eyes. Before I could stop, a rainfall of my own started  pouring down from my  tear ducts and flowed down my cheeks.

The previously sweet taste of chocolate on my tongue got mixed with the salty tears. How I wish I could turn back time to that brief moment of joy

2.A memorable storm

The sky above darkened, announcing the arrival of a storm. The previously bright sky had been replaced by incoming heavy, dark thunderclouds. A strong wind blew by, scattering objects here and there and making the trees dance in joy.

Our PE class was disrupted by this sudden turn of events and the coach sharply blew his whistle indicating all of us to go inside. While most of us obeyed his command, some stragglers sneakily stayed behind hoping to have some fun in the rain.

I made it inside the classroom just as the first bolt of thunder boomed, shaking the foundation of the whole building. After just a few seconds, the electricity went out, submerging us in total darkness. There were a few seconds of silence before chaos broke out. The teacher panicked, trying to get everyone under control while the students cheered and made weird noises .

We were ordered to get outside the classroom and into the balcony. The hallway was crowded with students from different classes trying to navigate their way towards their friends. With great difficulty I made it to the balcony and chose a nice spot by the corner.

By now the rain was coming down heavily. I looked down to see that the ground floor below was completely drowned in water as if a flood had just passed by. I could see cars with their headlights on struggling to move in the traffic. It was so dark everywhere that it was hard to believe that just a few minutes ago everything was bright and clear. It was as if night had come a few hours early.

Droplets of rain water rapidly drizzled past my face, occasionally making me wet. I stretched my hand out and felt the soothing sensation of the water touching my skin as the strong wind whistled by. The rain was falling in a rhythmic pattern, making some sort of a musical melody along with the raging thunder.

I looked up at the sky as dark and heavy clouds marched by with occasional strokes of lightning flickering in between them. Just a few moments after the lightning flashed by I could hear the mighty boom of the thunder.

The storm was a twirl of ballet dancers all clad in black and grey. They danced to the roaring thrum of heaven's drums and called upon lightning and thunder to accompany them in the show's endgame. The view was so mind blowing and picturesque, I felt like freezing the moment forever.

Just as lightning ran by waving at the clouds, a loud thunderous howl left the students cheering in a mixture of fascination and terror. They witnessed the evanescence of thunderbolts as the wind and water churned together.

Slowly the uproar seemed to subside as the rain bid its final goodbye. The sun started peeking out from behind the retreating light gray clouds. Slowly the birds came out and shook their feathers, shivering and wet to the core from the onslaught of nature’s wrath. They started flying from one branch to another, discussing the latest gossip with their friends.

The road outside was completely immersed in water, as if Poseidon had claimed his territory.
All around, the trees and leaves shone with blinding viridescence. Completely revitalized from the water which the storm had blessed them with. Not a single speck of dust was to be seen in their previously forgotten visage. The rain had washed away all the heat and left behind the gift of a nice and cool ambience.

I took a deep breath, inhaling the post-rain air which left my whole body feeling refreshed and energized. My lungs filled with contentment as I admired the beautiful scenery and the smell of petrichor.

A sudden commotion. I looked backwards. The students who had stayed behind were now scuttling back, shivering and shaken to the core. But, as the PE teacher scolded them for being reckless, I didn't miss the huge smiles etched upon their faces.

These types of days were very precious to me. I tried to capture all these tiny moments through the lens of my eyes and stored them away in the gallery of my mind. I would reminisce about these memories for the rest of my life like the tales I always found myself drowning in.

With a sigh of satisfaction and a happy little dance, I went back to gazing at nature's stormy celebration.

3.Moments before, during and after the rain

Insects buzzed outside while I sat by the open window , trying to scavenge as much air as I could. Sweat trickled down my neck due to the scorching heat and I let out a huff of frustration.

Looking outside I could see that everything seemed still. Not even a single leaf was moving. Outside I spotted a cat lying underneath a shade with it's body sprawled out on the ground , trying to save itself from being fried under the severe heat from the sun . All humans and animals alike seemed to be too exhausted to move .The hot weather had drained out all of our energy and left us in a grumpy mood.

Not getting enough breeze from outside, I started to fan my dry face by waving my hands up and down in swift motions. My brother grumbled out a complain about the boiling weather while my father replied by predicting that it was going to rain soon. He always said that whenever it got too hot it indicated that a storm was coming soon in order to give us relief .

I mentally hoped that this came true and started daydreaming about the coolness the rain would bring with it.

It was not a surprise when a strong breeze started to blow from outside, waving past my face and bringing me out of my bubble of thoughts. Looks like my wish had been granted.

Outside the clear blue sky was swiftly getting dark with grey thunderclouds, announcing the arrival of a storm. Strong wind blew by making the trees and leaves dance in joy and scattering objects here and there . I also felt like dancing thinking about the upcoming storm.

I rushed to the balcony so that I could see everything more clearly. The dancing wind was now carrying dust particles from all around and I had to squint my eyes in order to refrain it from getting inside my eyes. I could hear the distant voice of my mother forbidding my brother from going outside to have fun in the rain .

Rumbles of thunder could be heard and soon after my father's yell followed, ordering us to secure all the windows. I rushed forward to close the windows and move the chairs away from the balcony so that they didn't get drenched.

By now the light had completely faded from outside and everything was submerged in darkness. It was hard to believe that just a few minutes ago it had been so sunny outside while right now it seemed as if night had come a few hours early.

Soon enough a lightning flashed illuminating the sky for a few seconds , the thunder howled  as the first shower of rain started pattering down in torrents like arrows falling from the sky .
I reached my hands out through the gaps in the railings and felt the soothing sensation of the droplets drizzling on my skin and the cold wind blowing by my face.

The rain was falling in a rhythmic pattern making some sort of music along with the raging thunder.
All of a sudden, a rather strong bolt of lightning ran by and the impact shook the foundation of the building which was followed by the electricity going out with a boom.

I gazed upwards and saw the dark clouds marching by with occasional strokes of lightning flickering in between them which was followed by the mighty roar of the thunder. The storm was a twirl of ballet dancers all clad in black and grey. They danced to the roar of heaven's drum and called lightning and thunder to accompany them in the shows endgame.

The view was so mind blowing and picturesque I felt like freezing the moment forever . As I couldn't do that, I just settled with capturing the scene through the lens of my eyes, storing it in my mind ,never to forget.

Time flew by as I admired nature's celebration and slowly the tempo of the rain came down. The rain arrows became less in numbers till at last only the straggling droplets hanging from the leaves were left behind.

The sun started peeking out from behind the light grey clouds who were bidding farewell. Slowly the birds came out and shook their feathers , shivering and wet to the core from their rainy bath. They started flying from one branch to another, discussing latest gossip with their friends.

The road outside was completely drowned in water , as if a flood had recently passed by. All around, the trees and leaves shone with blinding greenery. Completely refreshed from the water which the storm had blessed them with. Not a single speck of dust was to be seen in their previously dusty surface. The rain had washed away all the heat and left behind the gift of a nice and cool temperature .

I took a deep breathe, inhaling the post rain air which left my whole body feeling refreshed and energized. My lungs filled with contentment as I admired the beautiful scenery and smell which only came after the rain. This type of weather was my favorite and I hoped I could experience more days like this in the future.