The splatter of rain on hard gravel accompanied the clip clop of his trusty horse’s feet pounding the ground with great speed. The sun was finally hidden behind the clouds that let their heaven sent rain lash against his bare face.

“Onward Nimbus! To the castle of the sky!” He hollered, a smile pushing his cheeks up so that his eyes were almost closed as the rain danced on his brow. A neigh was his only reply as they made their way up the winding pathway that defied gravity, it could combat the forces of the earth but this pathway could never make Nimbus trot any slower than he insisted, his mind unable to comprehend the clear solid that was beneath his hooves.

Rain fell through the pathway leaving it dry for Nimbus to cautiously trot up while the clouds seemed to be in fast forward, pelting down onto the ground leaving Vitus and Nimbus behind at their own pace until the weary light grey horse gained confidence and his trot became a gallop once more, the clouds coming closer almost as fast as the beating of Nimbus’ heart at the exertion. “Almost there beautiful, just a bit further” Vitus comforted the horse he’d had since she was but a filly and felt her speed increase for a moment as if she could understand him, she surged forward with the top of the castle in sight and shook her head falling back into a slow trot at the top finally. “Knew you could do it Nimbus!” He praised rubbing the rain into her short hairs.

Vitus left his companion with some apples from his satchel and walked towards the once light turrets around the edge of the castle top that were dark with the rain, the colour of wet sand as if the whole structure were one big sandcastle itself.

For a moment he just stood there. He stood and he stared out onto the village below with its yellowed grass now swimming in sludgy mud and fire damaged houses, at first the heat had been welcomed, the sun with its brightness seemed like a blessing when it would become a curse like no other. For weeks there was no rain, for weeks the sun dominated the earth and sky, cooking the inhabitants and setting off fires wherever it wished like a cruel child with a magnifying glass. Vitus longed for the days when rain showered him in its cool embrace but the heat was relentless and continued to beat down on the earth without mercy.

“Thank you” It was but a whisper, barely a sound at all but he said it nonetheless as his eyes fell letting the water droplets fall over his skin and stick his slightly longer hair to his face giving the rain drops direct bridges from which to drop together, soaking him and his belongings only to leave a note for him to find later...

“For ye, child of the rain, we fall” -The Rain