Rain

Mia gasped in dismay as she looked up. The sky was full of rain-clouds! It was sure to pour soon. And little Mia had no rain-coat or umbrella to protect her! She hurried along the sidewalk, towards home.

As she hurried, she felt the first drop strike her head. It had started - and she was still two blocks away! The next drop hit her arm a moment later - but it felt odd. Sort of... tingly.

Curious, Mia paused and waited. Another drop struck her on the nose, which tingled gently. And sure enough, right in front of her eyes, a raindrop floated, unmoving!

Startled, Mia jerked backwards, and the raindrop burst, vanishing. But now she was really curious. She held out an arm, and as the rain intensified, sure enough, a field of raindrops appeared, hovering just on top of Mia's skin. She carefully drew her arm back, and watched, entranced, as the raindrops hovered peacefully in midair - until a hurrying man brushed carelessly through them and ruined it. Mia's face fell - and then she smiled. She could play with the rain at home! She ran straight for home, smiling as the rain tingled on her skin.

Mia let herself in the front door and ran straight out to the back - she knew her parents wouldn't be home until dinner-time, so she had all the time she needed to play. She danced around the backyard, enjoying the tingling and the sight of the raindrops hitting her skin - and then she had an idea. As the rain intensified, becoming a torrential downfall, Mia cupped both hands. They quickly filled with rain, and when Mia lowered her hands, two little dishes of rain hovered there in midair! Mia clapped with glee. Carefully, she cupped both hands together and moved them slowly through the air, sketching the letter "M" in the air. Then she followed this with an "i" (with a bit of a blurry dot), then a rather indistinct "a." Still, Mia was understandably pleased.

Now Mia decided to move onto ever grander things. Holding both arms out straight into the rain, she began to 'sketch' a long cylinder. After a little bit, she satisfied herself with the size and carved little crenelations out of the top. She had a tower!

Then Mia noticed something. The rain seemed to make her less tingly now - and, looking at the "Mia" she had written, she noticed that it was slowly slipping towards the ground.

Mia decided to test. First, she held both arms out again, making a large sheet of water. Rain spilled off it like a roof, creating a tiny waterfall. But Mia noticed that her name - and the tower, too - were slipping down even faster.

Then Mia tucked both arms away inside her shirt. Nothing seemed to happen - her rain-sculptures continued to fall at the same rate.

Mia thought. Her newfound talent was vanishing! Should she try to preserve it? Or should she just have fun right now? She stood in her backyard, very solemn and completely soaked. She thought and thought.

By the time her parents got home, there was no sign that any of it had ever happened.