The weekend of the Havenwing Ball arrived. Usually when I returned to Uncle Oruc’s and Aunt Monria’s house after school each day I took time to join my aunt for tea or, if she was otherwise engaged, took tea by myself in the library with a good book to refresh me after my day’s work.
But on the Friday before the ball I raced directly to my room, hastily changed into riding clothes, and rushed to the stables, where that morning I had left a special request with the stable master to have two horses saddled and waiting.

Approach of a Storm

I saw the lightning leap from the mountain's crest
And a roar answered from the heavens.
An eagle, spiraling to her rocky nest,
missed the thunderbolt by a feather's breadth.
Quickly the clouds cloaked the sky,
Swiftly the sun was veiled in gray.
The wind had risen, cold and high;
It swirled and gusted, then it died.
In the silence I heard the clouds
Pouring a hundred thousand
diamond drops to the ground
While the thirsting earth drank them down.

Finally, it comes
and I can breathe again
even with the world crashing around me
and terror towering above.
Clarity of sky brings clarity of mind - take it away:
the lovely blue sky
fading at the edge
and then the sun, pure pure white
and blazing with all the colors in the universe - let me forget,
let my thoughts fuzz around the edges like bad reception.
I love the brilliance
but right now I am happy to let it rain
with the soft water grazing my cheeks and tickling the roots of my hair.
It's almost done now

1. I want to die on a beach
I want to die on a beach
Alone, the rain will pelt my smile
The tide engulfing my outstretched arms
The sand will wrap me up like a cocoon
When the lightning strikes, I will remember my life as it once was
The ocean will take my body and I will swim amongst the whales.

Grey clouds blanketed the sky. Darker clouds loomed ahead, warning of impending rain. Thunder rumbled faintly in the distance.
A dirt road wound its way through the countryside. Trees lined either side of the well-worn path, offering shelter should it be needed. Autumn had worked its wonders, and the trees were now boasting bright orange and crimson leaves.

PartⅠ

Dear Nathaniel,
The rain falls in large plump drops over here, which splatter everywhere and on everything. It is a miracle, for the garden sorely needed a spot of rain. It has been shockingly dry here this summer, and I have been so sick of mother’s dull company.
Poor thing, doesn't know she’s a complete and utter bore.
Must not keep you.
Miss you and wish to see you in a fortnight.
Sincerely yours,
Charlotte.

drawn from the ocean
in a backwards flight
as if God grabbed a remote
and swiftly pressed rewind

i’m drawn in the air
and i’m drawn into the sky
nesting in a white-grey cloud
pillowed and divine

along with a thousand other drops
who furl around; condense
bound together by nature’s pull
and varied circumstance

those drops nested by the sand
they’ll stay pressed in the depths
of cake-like mud and rainbow fish
opposing omnipresence

OOC: This story is based on the song Bloss by Mr Bill and Freddy Todd
Listen to it to get a mental image of what the story feels like.

Drowning

Standing in a thunder storm
pelted by the angry drops,
wishing it would all stop
Staring at the dirty ground.

So alone in this world
Just me and my thoughts
So alone in this night
Just me and my dreams

The waters rising higher
My fears are all consuming
I’m left to start assuming
That my life is going to end

So hopeless on my feet
Just a drop, yet it cuts so deep
So tired of the dreary cycle
Just a day, yet it feels so long

Splash!
The first drop touches down,
Glistening in the sun
Like the greatest King’s crown.

Brushing the earth,
Cracked and dry,
It satisfies the soul
And is pleasing to the eye.

The second drop hits,
Flying to the earth,
Buried in the ground,
Encouraging new birth.

The dust rises,
Trying to greet the rain
As the sun rises
And smiles on the plain.

The dry ground,
Parched for a drink,
Lifts up its face
At the sound of each “plink”