Shattered Skies

And finally the skies parted.

The scorching sun had all but torched the living beings here. Soil had turned into dust; trees drooped and greenery browned out. The onset of summer had sent shivers. If this were to be a precursor, then beware- imagine what lay in store when summer would be at its peak! Day after day, the blazing sun sapped dry everything below. Power cuts only added to the misery. Every mouth here uttered the same prayer. Everybody prayed for rain.

Then one evening the blue skies turned gray. The sun hid itself among the clouds. The wind began to pick up. As the dark clouds rolled in, evening donned the look of dusk. Streaks of lightning dotted the dark skies followed by the boom of thunder reverberating in the distance. The wind blew a real gale. The searing heat began to recede; the winds were perhaps messengers of the impending bliss.

The sun had, by now, gone down completely or was too well concealed somewhere in the clouds. Thunder and lightning echoed across the sky. The trees swayed in the wind, panes shattered and roofs creaked and groaned. Banners on the roadsides held onto their ground hard. Rains could be smelt in the distance.

The pitter-patter started. The first few drops hit the dry ground and formed a perfect medley of light and dark. The pour increased. It turned into a drizzle. The surrounding concrete was beginning to lose its colour. A steady downpour followed. And finally torrential rains swept across. The weather cooled down considerably; the mercury plummeted by quite a few degrees.

As I stood, drenching myself in the first rains of the season, I could feel a sense of relief surround me. The rains, I prayed, will clean the air around, settle the dust and replenish the greenery so badly missed.