The Rain Cannot Stop Us

Once upon a time in a far distant land, there was a town named Broughton. The town of Broughton when built, was designed to face the east to ensure every parcel of the town’s land was bathed in the sun’s glimmering luminous rays. After the town’s infrastructure was laid, commercial and residential buildings were erected, and public transportation construction projects were completed the developers began to encourage people near and far to move to Broughton, “the place where the sun always shines.” The masses came to Broughton in droves, and before long the entire town was bustling with townspeople.

The town of Broughton for five years experienced what felt like an endless summertime dream. Until one day, an incessant rain cloud came and rested over Broughton, and the townspeople’s summertime dream quickly turned into a muggy, soggy, and humid nightmare. Year after year the rain cloud rested over Broughton blocking the sun’s bright warm rays. Soon, the place where the sun always shined that had gained the nickname Apollo by those who lived in and outside of the town, was now referred to as bucket down, a British term used to describe heavy rains.

As the rain continued the disposition of the townspeople shifted. Smiling cheerful faces were replaced with downcast pessimistic faces. For all had given up hope of the rain cloud passing over. The bright gay gleeful adolescent merriment that once filled the town was interchanged for melancholy, wretchedness, and gloom. For all the children of the town longed to go outside and play a game of red rover, climb a tree, or simply feel the warm touch of the sun against their flushed, sweaty, nicked, grass-stained cheeks again. The wait list for moving into the town dwindled until none were left. The townspeople who could afford to leave left. The people who remained lived in the conjured glum reality that one day the rain cloud would overtake them all, and they would drown with the town and fall into the earth like quicksand.

But then one day quite to the townspeople’s surprise a peculiar woman moved into town. Some thought she was strange, while others simply called her eccentric. Others thought her to be quirky, while several found her to be whacky and unorthodox. A few assumed she must be either poor or afflicted with madness for moving into a downtrodden waterlogged town like Broughton. Much of the townspeople’s thoughts about the woman stemmed from unquenched curiosity as none of them even knew the woman’s name, they simply observed her comings and goings from a distance.

Three months after the peculiar woman moved into the town of Broughton all the townspeople received an invitation from the woman, whose name they came to learn was Cleo, just Cleo. The townspeople were all in disbelief as they read the invitation. Cleo had invited them all to an outdoor party she was hosting right in the heart of the town. Three weeks leading up to the party the townspeople were in constant murmuring and gossip. Their chatter intensified as the date of the party drew nearer and they saw Cleo in the store purchasing party supplies.

The day of the party the entire town was quiet, but eyes could be seen peeking through blinds, and the lips and noses of children could be seen pressed against storm doors. Nonetheless, even with no townspeople in sight, Cleo commenced the party on time. Cleo opened a window on the first floor of her home to prop up a radio, and then cranked up the volume till the speakers vibrated. Cleo stepped out into the rain in a beautiful floor-length shiny red leather raincoat, sleek glossy black thigh-high leather boots, and a beautiful floral designed umbrella. In the middle of the street all alone with the music blaring, Cleo began to dance and sing in the down pouring rain.

The townspeople from the comfort of their homes looked on bewildered thinking, surely this woman must be mad, but then a young man stepped out of his home and joined Cleo in the street and danced with her. Soon, all the children rushed out of their homes in their raincoats and rain boots and began to dance in the rain alongside Cleo, and splash in the puddles too. Before long the entire town was in the street, dancing, swaying, clapping, stomping, singing, tapping, jumping, and every other movement imaginable as the permeating joy of Cleo mixed with the vibrant playlist led them all into awe followed by fearless jigs, tangos, foxtrots, hip bumps, and wiggles that made the whole-body jiggle. The town carried on this way for hours and then to everyone’s amazement and relief the rain cloud passed over and the sun shined brightly over Broughton again.

~ The End