Speak Rain

  ~~~

  As Daniel was shutting his bedroom door following Rachel’s insistence they go to bed and try to get some sleep, she called up to him from the bottom few steps of the stairway.

  “Dan? You’d better come down here.”

  Once he’d come down her concern was immediate without her explanation, but he listened as he made his way across the basement to the source of a very wet carpet. The rain had fallen so hard for so long while Dan was “putting out the fire” that the window wells in the back two bedrooms towards the uphill slope of the back yard must have actually filled with water. Looking out the window in the room he’d intended for Rachel it was clear the water had even risen up about a third of the way up the window pane. Cracks in the cement wall or even through the edge of the stucco sealant from window to cement must have leaked through. A good portion of water likely came in through the small felt gasket between the side-sliding pane and the stationary one. It was a mess.

  Rachel and Daniel exchanged a look of frustration at first having inspected the window but something about it made them feel more at ease. They laughed together until Dan turned to gather up the bedding that was still dry and head upstairs.

  “I guess you need some practice,” Rachel said still chortling.

  As he climbed the stairs ahead of her, arms laden with blankets, Dan asked, “What do you mean?”

  “Well…” she replied, “Maybe you did turn the rain on for that house…but if you did, I think you need to either work on your aim, or you need to do something to turn it back off again.”

  Dan snorted. “I guess I do need some practice then.”

  Rachel was offered Dan’s bedroom for the night, though she tried to resist at first. Ultimately, they were too tired and Ray relented and quickly climbed into bed while Daniel used the blankets he’d brought up to prepare the couch. Before laying down, he decided to try an experiment.

  “Dear God,” he started. “…Or whoever might be listening that’s on our side…I’m sorry I haven’t kept saying prayers since last week, but I…I think we need some serious help here.

  Can you please show us what we’re supposed to do about this water shaman?

  I know there’s some reason Rachel and I can both sense this thing and that it’s decided to attack us, but…I don’t know what that reason is…”

  Daniel thought for a moment pressing his forehead tightly into his knuckles folded together in front of him. The pressure was intense enough he would regret it later as his skin was sore from it. But for the moment it helped him concentrate.

  “I think maybe you meant for us to do something about it. So, God, if you’re there, can you please give me the strength to protect Ray, and to get rid of this thing for good?

  Anyway…any help you can give me would be appreciated.

  …Name o’ Jesus.

  Amen.”

  Daniel thought his mind may want to wander or that it would be ill at ease while he awaited an answer, a sign, or something to let him know his prayer had been heard by someone. But he fell asleep quickly.