A snippet of something I'm working on

     The rain had begun the night before I had noticed it when I let Boo out for her last toilet trip before we went to bed, it was around midnight and the rain began to fall in a light mist, the type that soaks you through to your skin before you’ve even realised and by the time we had returned inside the light mist had evolved into larger more erratic drops and by the time we had curled up in bed the fat heavy drops were hammering against the window panes as though trying to break in. I slept fitfully that night waking constantly to the darkness and the sound of the rhythmic tapping of the rain against the window, the light filling the room gradually began to dilute until finally the day broke though there was no sun to replace the rain which stayed firmly in place and seemed heavier than I had ever seen it before. I poked my toe out from beneath the covers quickly pulling it back as it touched the cool floorboards of my bedroom floor, Boo grumbled as I move and snuggled back in bed she had refused to move and so we both drifted back into alight dreamless sleep.

     When we finally awoke and climbed from the warm hug of the bed the rain still hammered against the ground outside, tiny river ran down the window panes and formed pools on the ledge, the gutters gushed and a lake of a pool of water had formed on the road outside. The council had been trying to fix the problem for years, it was where the small, often undetected hill levelled off and without fail the rain always collected there and when a car, van or Lorry rushed through it, the dormant water rose in a great fan of droplets threatening to soak any person who walked too close. As I dressed I watched the water rear up in a tidal wave as a Hovis Lorry rushed through it at what was obviously a speed higher than 30mph, it rose and cast a warning shadow down over the family of four walking along the road. If the water had not been collecting all night and if the pool had not been spanning nearly the width of the road then at the distance that they were from the road edge ordinarily the family consisting of mum, dad and two young daughters would have been at a safe proximity from the water however mother nature was working against them and a second after the warning had come the cold and grubby water rained down upon their heads. The water proofs they had zipped themselves into did little to protect them for the sudden influx of water nor did their brightly coloured wellington boots protect their warm and dry feet as the water seeped in from above, one of the little girls began to wail and protest, her mother scooped her up and dabbed water from her face though it was hard to tell what was salty tears, what was grubby puddle water and what was fresh rain water; the other child laughed and giggled, kicking the new small puddle that had collected on the pavement. I watched them round the corner before turning away and continuing on my path to fully waking up.          

     After I washed we both made our way down stairs, Boo watched while I fried and flipped bacon in the old beat up frying pan I had inherited from my mother, the mouth watering aroma filled the room, Boos mouth watered as I spread bread, my mouth watered as I laid three sliced of perfect bacon and by perfect I mean crispy edge preventing any fat and soft meat in the centre, perfect. I sliced Boos sandwich into quarters slid them into her dish and place it onto the cool tiled floor. As I sliced mine and placed it onto a plate I watched Boo as she nuzzled the pieces of bread apart, butter stuck to the end of her pale pink nose and she eagerly licked it off before continuing on her mission to part the pieces of bread and once she had done so she quickly but delicately lifted the bacon from the bread and ate it she then proceeded to do the same to the remaining three quarters of sandwich, she then ate the buttery bread before nuzzling around her empty dish for left over crumbs and moving over to where I sat and gazing first longingly at me and then at my bacon sandwich. The staring went on for every minute I took to eat the food, until finally I gave in and passed her the drying crust from my bread,

“That’s all you’re getting” I muttered with a mouthful of food and a smile, she rolled onto the floor with a whine and rubbed at her face, “now that’s not going to work, you just had your own” I added sparing her no sympathy as she tried to look her cutest. I stood and checked the time as I walked over to the sink and slipped our bowls into the warm soapy water. It was just about to turn 10 o’clock, the rain had fall back into a light mist though the clouds still remained black and brooding, “shall we go for a run?” I asked Boo, she glanced up out of the window as if contemplating the rain and whether or not she might feel like getting wet and then she jumped up, ran to the set of draws where her numerous collars and leads were kept, including an embellished black one and a blue one with her name imprinted on it. She snuffled at the handle until I joined her and slid the draw open, “okay which one will it be today?” I asked looking at her endless eyes, “the blue one” I pulled the collar out and slipped it around her neck after the usual fight with her nibbling at it and I clipped on the lead and pulled on my trainers, “ready?” I asked, she responded with a gleeful bark.

     Outside, though the rain fell in a light haze and felt cool on the skin the air around it was warm and muggy and once we had started running the cool rain was welcome on our hot and sweat drenched skin. We ran for nearly an hour, 30 minutes either way and by the time we got home the rain had returned to its former state of heavy fat droplets, we were soaked to the bone from the mixture of sweat and rain water. It was then that it happened, the thing that changed it all.

     We had just crossed the road, the rain pelted down, water ran in rivers down the sides of the road, a car rushed through the ever growing puddle, Boo pulled ahead despite her tired state and shook the rain from her coat; suddenly everything stopped. I don’t mean that the people stopped moving, the cars stood still or the droplets of water stopped immobilised, suspended and floating in mid-air. What I mean is the air stood still, nothing in it moved or made a sound, it fell dead still and deafly silent and the rain stopped in a half second as though it had never been falling, like an umbrella had be put up over England. Both Boo and I froze in place waiting, her hackles stood on end, we both knew something was coming and then it became apparent; the noise hit us first in a sharp screeching blast, then the giants shadow cast over, so large that it could had cast shade over the moon; the force of the beast as it flew over our heads knocked both me and Boo from our feet, the cars screeched to a halt though the sound could not be heard over the noise of the great flying monster; It was a plane.