The Girl Who Loved The Rain ~ A Musical Cues One-Shot

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Synopsis: Five year old Kelly is in an orphanage after her parents' deaths. Alone and sad, she finds hope when a ghostly girl appears to keep her company.

Author's Note: This story was written for the Musical Cues II one-shot contest on FWAR. As you know, I'm still experimenting with different writing styles and themes and wanted to see how well would I do with focusing on feelings, especially through the eyes of a child.  I'd really like to hear your thoughts on how I did! Once again I tried writing in 3rd person.. Who knew it'd grow on me? I really despised it when I first started writing. *grins* The story is based on a song by a singer named Marietta Fafouti, I don't blame anyone if you haven't heard of her (I hadn't either) because she's a Greek artist whose song I came across by accident. The song has the same name as my story, The Girl Who Loved The Rain. You can listen to it here. I'm also posting the lyrics:

There was a girl who loved the rain
She was alone but never scared
Everyone thought that she was lost
But no one tried to give her hope

And when I saw her I felt calm
She was the one I saw that night
When I was crying full of pain
She took my tears and made them rain

There was a girl who loved the rain
She had a calm and peaceful face
Nobody knew what was her name
Everyone used to call her "rain"

And when I saw her I felt tears
She was the one who knew my dreams
She took my hand and then she waited
When she breathed out, it started raining

And it was one night that she just left and
It was raining everyday
I tried to reach her but she wasn't there

And when I saw her I felt light
She was the one who changed my life
When I was crying full of pain
She took my tears and made them rain

And when I saw her I felt tears
She was the one who knew my dreams
When I was crying full of pain
She took my tears and made them rain

There was a girl who loved the rain
I never saw her since that day
But every time I hear the rain
I know she is there and feels the same

* * * * *

The Girl Who Loved The Rain

Kelly ran up the stairs of the clock tower as fast as her tiny feet would allow her. She rubbed her arm against her eyes hastily, wiping away the fat teardrops that were filling her eyes. Each wooden stair step creaked under her bare toes, more and more the higher she went. Kelly finally reached the top and pushed the half rotten door with all her strength, putting her whole weight on it. 

She came stumbling in, her big toe getting caught on a board that jutted out and tripped. She landed on a dirty sheet that was spread on the floor face-first, but she barely made any effort to stand up. The windows around her were broken, useless pieces of thick carton paper taped against the gaping holes, barely keeping just a little of the winter chill out of the abandoned building. Kelly curled her body into a ball, bringing her legs close to her chest and cried, sobs racking her whole body. 

Mrs. Kerkin would be mad when she realized Kelly wasn’t in her room. She didn’t want to go back though. Everyone hated her in that place. The Orphanage. That was what the serious looking people in the tight grey suits had called it. They took her there almost immediately after the accident. They didn’t explain much to her; they put her in the back seat of a big, ugly, black car and told her that this would be her home from now on. Therefore, she went to live in that big building, with Mrs. Kerkin and more children; all of them had no family, just like her. 

It was horrible. In the dining room, there were stains, red and dark orange, like blood, splattered all over the walls and floor. The cook had told her it was only red sauce and orange juice splashed around, but Kelly couldn’t help crying every time she walked in and saw them. Her bedroom was even worse though. Under the bed, was a whole city made of cobwebs, scary spiders with glowing eyes and long legs living there. 

The children were mean too. They always called her crybaby because the girls she shared her room with had heard her cry every night. They made fun of her because she couldn’t even braid her hair or tie the laces of her shoes. At first, she went running to Mrs. Kerkin, hoping she would tell them to stop, but it only gave her yet another title: tattletale. 

She was determined not to return to that place. She was going to sit here until she was old enough to leave the awful orphanage forever. 

A long time passed before anything happened. She no longer had any tears left to shed and her eyes were red and puffy from crying. The wind whooshed and howled, ricocheting as it echoed through the long, spinning staircase. The corner of the dirty, white sheet wavered, like a little ghost that had fallen down, and was struggling to get back up. 

Kelly observed with fascination. She almost forgot why she was hiding up here.  What the reason was for her anger and tears. Laughter bubbled in her chest, but before it surfaced, something touched her shoulder. She yelped in fear and jumped away from the sheet, pressing her back against the wall. A gust of wind lifted the now weightless sheet, raising and waving it wildly, as if the little ghost Kelly imagined suddenly took form. Abruptly, the wind stopped, and the dirty fabric fell on the floor. Kelly gasped at the girl that stood before her. She was tall and older than her; this was all Kelly could tell about her age. She stared at the girl, mouth gaping. She was beautiful, like the princesses from her storybooks back at home. Her hair was long and straight, the color of the sky in the night and her eyes a clear blue. They were big and looked very, very sad. She smiled at Kelly though, just a little, but it was enough for Kelly to smile back. 

Without any warning, the girl turned around and started going down the stairs. 

“Wait!” Kelly shouted, letting go of the cracked wall without a second thought. 

The girl didn’t seem to hear her; she kept going down. Kelly followed behind her, the back of the girl’s white dress stood out in the darkness. Surprised, Kelly stopped and peeked through the nailed boards on one of the windows; it was nighttime. Mrs. Kerkin definitely knew she was gone by now. She was going to get in trouble if she went back. But…she wanted to find out where that girl came from. And besides… she was a little hungry. Her stomach growled, as if just to prove her point. 

Kelly snapped out of her thoughts and started going down the stairs again. The girl was ahead of her, but she could still see her. There was a wet trail left behind her. In the semi-darkness, she could see now that the girl’s hair and clothes were dripping, as if she’d been standing in the rain for hours. She stopped when she reached the second floor, and looked at the gaping hole in the wall. Kelly wondered if that was how the other girl got in there. There wasn’t another exit; the clock tower’s door had been locked with a rusty, but strong chain years ago. There was only the hole in the wall – and it lead straight into Kelly’s bedroom in the orphanage. 

“Hey, wait!” Kelly called again, more quietly this time, in case the other girls in the room heard her. They didn’t know about the hole in the wall, and that it led to Kelly’s secret hiding place. 

The girl didn’t stop. She bent down and crawled into the room, vanishing from Kelly’s sight.

* * * * *

For the next couple of hours, Kelly thought that she couldn’t be in worse trouble. As soon as she came down the stairs, Mrs. Kerkin’s face turned a tomato red,  and looked like she was a volcano ready to explode And she did. Her reprimand was loud enough that everyone in the orphanage was peeking from the rooms with open curiosity. Even the cook stood among them, looking baffled at Mrs. Kerkin’s outburst. 

Mrs. Kerkin screamed until her voice became hoarse and raspy. Even then, she kept lecturing Kelly, who after a few minutes had stopped listening. She waited for Mrs. Kerkin to finish. Whenever that would be, was the big question. At some point, her eyes wandered, observing everyone that was looking at them. They all must have figured out what this all was about by now. After a while, Mrs. Kerkin was simply repeating herself, talking about responsibilities and how Kelly shouldn’t have vanished just like that without a word. 

It was then that Kelly spotted the black-haired princess. She was somewhere between the crowded stairs, looking down with that sad, sympathetic look of hers. Her hair seemed damp now, not too wet, but not completely dry either. Nobody seemed to notice her, as if she was invisible. 

Mrs. Kerkin clapped her hands in front of Kelly’s eyes, forcing her to focus on her again. “I’m talking to you, young lady,” the woman said. 

“Sorry,” Kelly mumbled, but dared a last peek at the princess. 

“Where were you hiding anyway?” The caretaker’s voice was much calmer now, and everyone started leaving, disappointed that Kelly hadn’t burst into tears, or that Mrs. Kerkin hadn’t announced the girl would have to be severely punished. 

“In the closet,” Kelly said through her teeth, looking down at her still bare feet. 

“We looked in the closet!” Mrs. Kerkin exclaimed. “No one was there! Quit lying young lady, you wouldn’t get so dirty in the closet. Look at you! You’re a mess! You had clean clothes, Kelly, freshly washed and ironed!” 

“I’m sorry,” she said again. 

The caretaker placed her flabby arms on her sides, palms resting on her waist. “Now, will you tell me where you were really hiding?” 

Kelly’s mind raced; she peeked up the stairs, there was only the princess girl left there now. Suddenly, she knew what she should say. “I was in the closet at first. I heard footsteps, and when they went away, I came out and hid under the bed.” 

Mrs. Kerkin wrinkled her nose and her face looked like a smirking mask. Her nose looked even pointier than usual. “Under the bed you say… that explains all the… oh well! Let’s get you changed! Mr. Thomas here was kind enough to keep a bowl of soup for you. Don’t expect it to be warm though!” 

Relief washed over Kelly as she was led up the stairs, Mrs. Kerkin didn’t touch her. The princess girl looked at Kelly one more time and then hurried into the hall of the second floor, vanishing in the girls’ bathrooms. 

The caretaker pulled out a change of clothes for Kelly, and threw it on the bed for the girl to take. “After getting dressed, go wash your hands. Then go downstairs to eat.” She instructed before leaving the room. 

Kelly got on her knees, leaning forward with her little hands touching the old, wooden floor. She sneaked a peek under the bed. The spider city was still there, intact. An involuntary shiver ran down her spine. She wouldn’t hide in that place even if her life depended on it. She slipped the soft pajamas over her head, her hands momentarily getting tangled underneath the shirt. One hand to the left, the other to the right, head in the middle, her mother’s voice echoed in her head. She figured it out and hurried to put on her pants. They were a little too long, belonged to a girl three years older than her, but they were good enough for now. She went to the bathroom, her pajama pants brushing against the cool mosaic floor. She had to stretch on the tips of her little toes to reach the light switch. The princess was there, all dried up now. She was leaning her back against the tiled wall, looking at Kelly. 

This time Kelly didn’t utter a word, afraid the princess would run away again. She waved a hand at her and then scrubbed her dirty hands with the soap left by the sink, humming a little melody inside her head. 

She wondered what the girl’s name was, where she came from… did she have parents? Of course not, Kelly decided almost immediately. If she did, she wouldn’t be here. How could it be that she hadn’t seen her before? 

Odd, she thought, and went to get her dinner.

* * * * *

Kelly was dreaming. She was wearing a beautiful dress with shiny gems all over and was riding a dragon. The dragon flew up in the air, making turns smoothly whenever Kelly willed it to. Its scales were a brilliant green that gleamed in the bright sunlight, and its eyes were two black pearls. They were floating above a beautiful land with tall, snow-covered mountains and blooming-green meadows. They glided across a long, twisting river and past large, perfectly round lakes with crystal clear water. In the distance, in front of the setting sun a city appeared, with tall glass buildings and antennas on the terraces. 

All of a sudden, the dragon turned its whole body, almost throwing Kelly to the ground. She grabbed the scales of its neck and held on tightly. The dragon flew so fast that her eyes ached and she had to squint to see. She was asking it to slow down and take the opposite direction, but the dragon wouldn’t listen. It went lower, almost touching the crowded street filled with cars. 

“No!” Kelly yelled. 

But the dragon kept going. 

She wasn’t on the dragon’s back anymore. She was sitting on the back of a green car, with gray seats that had colorful square shaped designs on them. A song was playing on the radio and she was singing, a little off-key, but her parents laughed, and told her what a wonderful voice she had. 

“Will I be a great singer when I grow up like you are, mommy?” She asked, leaning forward between her parents’ seats. 

“If you want to, you will, sweetie,” her mother answered. 

Then the terrible, blood-chilling sound of screeching brakes came. It was piercing through Kelly’s ears and she barely had time to register the gigantic truck coming their way at full speed. It crashed and the whole car shook. Kelly fell back, hitting her head against the seat. Everything went black. 

She blinked slowly, the sounds muffled, as if a pillow was pressed against her ears. She saw red. There was blood everywhere. 

Kelly woke up screaming as she sat on her bed, wide- awake now. Her roommates complained and urged her to go back to sleep. Kelly tried, but couldn’t do it. She was sobbing and sniffling, her little heart thumping maddeningly inside her chest. She curled into a ball and pushed herself against the wall. The bunk shook and the girl on top muttered a complaint l in her sleep. 

The princess girl was there, sitting by Kelly’s bed. The other girls didn’t see her, or didn’t care. Her big, blue eyes stood out in the darkness. She was wet again. Was it raining? It didn’t sound like it. How did she get wet then? 

Unable to stop it, Kelly kept sobbing, shoulders shaking. The girl spread out an arm and wrapped it around her, pulling up the blanket to her chin with the other one. Kelly always kicked it away because it felt scratchy and made her itchy, but tonight, she didn’t mind. She moved closer to the girl and pressed her face against the princess’s side. She wasn’t as wet now. She actually felt warm where she touched Kelly. 

Rain, Kelly thought. I’m gonna call you Rain. 

After that, she drifted into a dreamless sleep, not once waking up or crying until the morning came.

* * * * *

The morning was Kelly’s favorite time of the day. She was only five and she didn’t have to leave to go school every day like the other children. So the whole orphanage was hers. Well,almost hers. Mrs. Kerkin was always there. And there were also the babies, four of them, none older than two years old. They were the only ones who didn’t make fun of her. But how could they after all? They could hardly utter a word. 

There was no schedule in the mornings. Kelly could sit and draw, or play with the toys in the common room. If Mrs. Kerkin was in a good enough mood, she would go to the kitchen and sit with Mr. Thomas, the cook, and would allow Kelly to watch some TV. 

Today, she didn’t get to watch TV.  The caretaker still remembered yesterday’s events. She kept glancing suspiciously at Kelly every time she moved. Rain was with her for some odd reason, even if she seemed old enough to go to school. Mrs. Kerkin didn’t say anything to her, not even once. Perhaps she got sick from sitting out in the rain last night, Kelly thought. 

The toy box was a rickety little wooden object with faded colors, and scratch marks all over it. The toys in it weren’t any better. Most of them were broken, the dolls’ faces had been drawn with markers and their hair ripped from their heads. Some were missing hands or legs too. There was a teddy bear that smelled like boiled cabbage whose button eyes were about to fall apart and a small dollhouse with holes on the floor and steps missing from the stairs, like a haunted house. She pushed them all away and reached for something from the bottom, a xylophone. It had nine colorful bars that made it look like a rainbow, and its two mallets were the only things truly intact in the box. 

Kelly crawled behind the sofa, and after making herself comfortable on the thick purple rug, she started playing. Rain sat opposite her, legs crossed and hands on her knees, her body leaning toward Kelly. Kelly grinned and kept playing. Her daddy was a pianist and they had many instruments in their old house. They hadn’t allowed her to take anything with her, so this was the only thing that reminded her of home. She tried to play the melody her mommy sang her to sleep every night, trying over and over again to get it right. 

No, no, no! That’s not right! She stomped her feet on the rug in frustration and dropped the mallets on the floor. She held the sides of her head and felt her eyes water. Rain stood closer now, and she felt a soft nudge. She was damp once again. Kelly wiped her eyes, and reached out to touch Rain’s hair. It was damp. 

It’s like every time I cry, it rains on her, Kelly thought. 

She stubbornly picked up the mallets and started all over again. Mrs. Kerkin sighed, annoyed that the disturbing sound began again. It took a few tries, but she eventually got it. After days, this was the first time she managed to really smile. Rain was beaming.

* * * * *

Kelly kept staring down at the unidentifiable mass inside her bowl. She didn’t know what was swimming in the white sauce and wasn’t sure she wanted to find out either. She squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed a spoonful, trying to keep her face from smirking at the sour taste. 

Without a warning, the shoulder of the boy sitting next to her bumped against hers, her hand knocking the bowl down, spilling the terrible soup everywhere; on the floor, the tablecloth, her clothes. Kelly started shaking, her lower lip trembled. 

“What’s wrong with you, tattletale?” The boy asked, smirking. “Gonna tell Mrs. Kerkin?” Kelly brought her eyebrows together, glaring at the boy angrily. “Oh, I know! You’ll start crying again!” 

The whole table erupted in snickers and loud laughter. Kelly pushed back her chair and left, not caring about the spilled food or the plastic bowl on the floor. She ran up the stairs to the girl’s bathroom and closed the door behind her. Rain came out of one of the toilet stalls and gave her a sad look. 

“I hate them!” Kelly screamed, staring at a stupid, smiley face someone had drawn on the tiles between two mirrors. “Why are they so mean to me?” 

Rain just shrugged and pursed her lips. 

“You don’t like them either, do you?” 

Rain shrugged again. 

“At least they don’t bother you. I wish I was tall like you. Nobody would dare to make fun of me then.” 

Rain seemed to chuckle, but no sound came out of her mouth. She kneeled down and her white dress brushed the floor. Mrs. Kerkin would get mad if she caught her doing that. The floor was wet and the tiles had a brownish tint, like someone with muddy shoes had walked in earlier. She poured water on a sponge and rubbed Kelly’s shirt until the stain was completely gone. Kelly looked up at Rain, giving her a grateful smile. 

“Thanks.” 

Rain ruffled her hair and vanished in one of the other rooms without making a sound.

* * * * *

The next day was one of Mrs. Kerkin’s good days. She took the TV remote control from the tallest shelf of the bookcase, where she kept it so that the children wouldn’t reach it. She gave it to Kelly before going in the kitchen. Kelly cuddled next to Rain on the sofa and flipped through different channels, barely glancing at the TV. She got off the sofa and ran to the bookcase to get some papers and some colored pencils before returning. She sat on the floor and spread out the papers on the sofa, picking a pink pencil to draw a face. 

Rain changed channels on her own, finally stopping at one. Kelly looked up. Her eyes widened as she saw her mommy’s face on the other side of the screen, singing a familiar song. 

She sat there for a few seconds, speechless. It was her mommy, beautiful like always, her hair pulled in a ponytail, wearing a red dress. The picture changed, zooming away from her and focusing on a white piano. Her lips quivered as her daddy’s face appeared. He wore a wide smile on his face, looking at her mommy adoringly. 

“Mommy… Daddy…” Kelly managed between sobs. She looked away from the picture on the screen and down at the papers. She picked up a red pencil to draw her mommy’s dress. She didn’t dare glance up for longer than a few seconds, feeling her eyes water every time. 

Footsteps echoed through the hall, heels clicking on the scratched wood. “What in God’s name is happening here?!” Mrs. Kerkin murmured, making her entrance in the common room. “What are you doing, Kelly?” She said in a high pitched tone that sounded like a shriek.

Kelly didn’t look at her. 

The caretaker grabbed Kelly’s shoulders and pivoted her body so that they were facing each other. “What is this?” She demanded, pointing at the TV. 

Kelly brought her legs close to her chest and hid her face. “My mommy and my daddy…” She mumbled. 

“What? Speak up!” 

“My mommy and my daddy,” Kelly repeated, feeling tears running down her cheeks. 

“What nonsense is that…” Mrs. Kerkin muttered, letting go of Kelly and putting on her glasses. She squinted her eyes, and gasped in surprise as she recognized the faces. “I shouldn’t have left you alone in front of the TV,” she finally said coldly. She grabbed the remote control from the sofa next to Rain, never once looking at the older girl. The screen turned black, her parents’ faces disappeared. 

“No!” Kelly yelled. 

“That’s enough, Kelly!” 

“No!” She yelled again. 

Mrs. Kerkin caught her wrists, trying to still her. Kelly squirmed and tried to push her away, feeling her tears soaking the sides of her face. 

“Let me go!” 

“Stop this instant, Kelly!” 

Kelly became still like a statue, a pout on her face. 

“I think you should go to your room. Sleep a little, calm down.” Mrs. Kerkin pulled Kelly’s hands, helping her stand up, and then pushed her towards the stairs. Kelly didn’t resist. She felt too tired and sad to say anything else. 

She crawled under the beddings, hiding her face in her pillow. There wasn’t anybody else in the bedroom, since all the other girls were older and were at school. It was just her and Rain. Her princess-like friend was sitting opposite her, on another girl’s bed. She was soaking wet, her white dress clinging to her body, big drops of water landing on the bed. 

“Sh- she’s going to be mad when she sees that the bed is w- wet,” Kelly stuttered, shivering even under the beddings. 

Rain grinned and winked at Kelly mischievously. She spread out her hand for Kelly to take. And Kelly did. A faint smile showed on her face. 

A knock on the door interrupted them, causing Kelly to jump. “Yes?” Kelly croaked. 

The door made a creaking sound as Mrs. Kerkin pushed it half open. “How are you feeling?” She asked. She cleared her throat and had a tight expression, as if trying to hide any emotions from her face. 

Kelly half nodded and shrugged. 

“You… left these downstairs. Perhaps you’d like to keep drawing?” Kelly took the papers and the colored pencils from Mrs. Kerkin’s hands, muttering a “Thank you.” Without another word, the caretaker left the room. 

Kelly looked up at Rain and she had an idea all of a sudden. “Come on, Rain. We have work to do,” she whispered and dragged her friend through the hole in the wall.

* * * * *

Kelly wasn’t quite the same since. She was smiling more, giggling more and spent all her time with Rain. Rain was still as quiet as one could get, but she was Kelly’s best friend. They played together, they drew together—Mr. Thomas even trusted two teacups and a pot to them to have a tea party. In the mornings, Kelly would pick a storybook to read with Rain… well, Kelly looked at the pictures, and Rain was the one who did the reading. 

One morning, she was sitting on the sofa with Rain, flipping through a storybook about a princess… And the princess looked so much like Rain, her hair was long and straight, shiny like silk, and her eyes big and blue. “Look, Rain! She’s just like you, isn’t she?” Kelly said excitedly, and clapped her hands together. 

Mrs. Kerkin looked at Kelly above her square glasses, setting her book aside. 

“Is everything all right, Mrs. Kerkin?” Kelly asked, giving her a wide smile. 

The caretaker was taken aback by the reaction, but composed herself quickly. “Yes, Kelly…” She trailed off, looking at the spot where Rain was sitting. “Everything is perfectly fine.” Kelly, satisfied with the reply, turned her attention easily back to the book’s colorful pictures. Mrs. Kerkin stood up, straightening her blouse. “Do you want something to eat? I believe Mr. Thomas said there are some cookies left.” 

“No, thank you, I’m not hungry.” She exchanged a look with Rain. She shook her head. “Rain says she’s not hungry either.” 

“Well, if Rain says so…” Mrs. Kerkin murmured and walked away.

* * * * *

Sometimes Kelly liked to pretend she was sleeping late. Mrs. Kerkin never said a thing about it, since the little girl didn’t have to attend school. Right after Mrs. Kerkin would check on her, exactly at 9:05 a.m., Kelly would kick away the covers and crawl through the hole in the wall with Rain, and go to the top of the clock tower. 

“I know where you go every time you’re not with me,” Kelly announced to Rain one day, momentarily letting go of what she was doing. 

Rain simply sat on the floor, her legs crossed, looking at the younger girl as if she hung on every word that left her lips. 

“You come up here. This is why I want the top of the tower to be a happy-looking place. All princesses live in towers, so you do too. Only you don’t have a dragon. Don’t you like dragons?” 

Rain looked out the windows at the busy streets. 

“You are right. The dragon wouldn’t like the city. It’s too noisy.” She turned back to her drawing. “I think that’s the last one. I’ve made so many already.” She picked up the drawing, admiring it. “Here, see? This is your mommy, the queen, and this is your daddy, the king. He has black hair like you do. Do you like it?” 

Rain smiled at her and ruffled Kelly’s hair. 

Kelly took the tape and stuck the drawing on the wall. “There, now that looks like a princess’s tower.” The clock struck twelve. It may be old and abandoned, but it never failed to strike exactly at noon and at midnight. “We have to go downstairs! Mrs. Kerkin will start looking for us!” 

They ran down the stairs and quickly Kelly changed her clothes, throwing the dirty ones in the laundry basket. Rain never changed, but Mrs. Kerkin hadn’t complained once about her when she was all wet or dirty since Kelly had met her.

* * * * *

There were still times when Kelly would wake up in the middle of the night, haunted by the same scary dream. The car crash came back to her, all the haunting memories of it making her cry. Rain was by her side every time though, soaking wet, but ready to hold her through the night and make her feel all right. 

Kelly had decided that Rain always got wet somehow when Kelly burst into tears, for one reason or another. What an odd girl that Rain was. She really liked the rain. Perhaps that was why she didn’t have a dragon, even though she was a princess. The dragon would catch a cold and then it wouldn’t be able to breathe fire and protect her. 

There was one time in particular, when Kelly couldn’t stop crying, even with Rain by her side. It was drizzling outside, a soft tap-tap-tapping sound striking the windows, the wind whistling through the cracks in the walls of the orphanage. Kelly put on her rain boots as quietly as she could and dragged a stool to the hanger to reach her raincoat. 

She tiptoed past Mrs. Kerkin’s room, down the stairs and through the back door at the kitchen. She knew there was a garden in the back, but ever since she came to the orphanage, it was cold and no one went out there to play. Kelly didn’t mind the bad weather. Rain loved the rain, so maybe Kelly did too. Best friends loved the same things, after all. 

She splashed around in puddles and left footmarks with her boots in the wet soil, giggled at the snails with their funny antennas and played chase with Rain until she had forgotten why she was awake at this late hour. When she finally came in, eyes heavy with sleep and dirty boots dragging across the kitchen tiles, all she managed was to leave the raincoat and her boots at the kitchen floor, and lie down on the sofa in the common room. 

In the morning, she was awoken by the loud voices around the orphanage, as the older children got ready to leave for school. She rubbed her eyes and sneezed lightly. No one was paying attention to her, as if she didn’t exist. Kinda like Rain. Her hair still felt wet from last night’s playing in the garden, but Rain seemed all dried up, even though she hadn’t worn a raincoat at all. 

Lazily, Kelly took her colorful xylophone and sat in her corner, playing the lullaby her mom used to sing even after everyone left for school, and the building was quiet. 

There was someone talking to Mrs. Kerkin, Kelly had stopped playing, hoping she could listen. Soon a pair stepped out of her office, a man with big, funny glasses that made him look like an owl and messy hair, and a woman with a pretty dress with flowers all over it. They seemed nice. Kelly thought their appearance was an unusual event. She hadn’t seen any grown-ups in the orphanage other than Mrs. Kerkin, Mr. Thomas and the tired, old lady that cleaned the building every two days. 

Kelly turned to ask Rain what she thought about the kind-looking pair, but she wasn’t there. “Rain?” Kelly called, looking around frantically. Nothing. Rain wasn’t there. 

The woman with the flower-covered dress looked in Kelly’s direction, giving her a sweet smile. Kelly looked at her for a second, and then scanned the room once again, looking for Rain. “Hi,” the woman started. 

“Hi,” Kelly said back, feeling her cheeks turn red. All of a sudden, she felt really shy. 

“What’s your name?” The woman asked, kneeling to sit next to her on the rug. 

“I’m Kelly,” she said quietly. 

“Kelly. That’s a beautiful name. I’m Melissa.” 

Kelly looked up at her. From up close, she could see that Melissa was really beautiful. She was younger than her mommy was and unlike her, Melissa wore her hair down. 

“So, what are you doing over here all by yourself?” 

“I’m playing music,” she explained and showed her the xylophone. “But I’m not alone. Rain was here with me.” 

“Rain?” Melissa asked, looking confused. 

“Yeah, she’s my best friend. She’s older, but she doesn’t go to school, so she sits with me in the mornings when the other children aren’t here.” 

“And where is she now then?” Melissa looked for a second at the direction of Mrs. Kerkin, and the man with the owl glasses. 

“She must have gone to her tower. Rain is a princess,” Kelly said proudly. 

“She is? That sounds amazing. Must be wonderful to have a princess as a friend.” 

“Yeah, she’s the best. She’s really beautiful, and she makes me happy when I’m sad.” 

“Awww, why would you be sad?” Melissa came closer, giving her a sympathetic look. It looked a lot like the looks Rain used to give her when they first met. 

“Sometimes, I miss my parents.” 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Kelly was startled at the question. Melissa put a hand on her back. 

“Not really. Do you wanna hear me play though? I’m really good at it, I promise!” 

“Sure,” Melissa agreed. 

Kelly liked Melissa. She sat with her for the whole all day, and so did the man with the owl glasses. His name was Eric. Melissa helped her dry her hair which was still damp and then made them two pretty braids. Eric read her the storybook with the fairytale about the princess that looked like Rain and Kelly explained to them why Rain had no dragon guarding her tower. Rain didn’t show up though. She must have been feeling shy around Melissa and Eric. 

When they left, Kelly went through the hole in the wall to see if Rain was up there. The sky was gray and filled with dark clouds, and it was raining. The top of the clock tower was empty. Nobody was there, but Kelly and the drawings on the walls. 

“I know you’re not here now, but I wanted to tell you about the nice couple. Their names are Melissa and Eric,” she said to the empty room. “I’ll make a drawing so that you can see them. Maybe you’ll want to meet them if they come again.” 

Kelly made a quick drawing of them; Kelly was standing in the middle, Eric on the one side and Melissa on the other. She taped it on the wall hurriedly, and went back down to eat her lunch.

* * * * *

The days passed and Rain didn’t show up. Instead, Melissa and Eric came at 10:00 every morning and sat with Kelly until lunch time. Mrs. Kerkin went more often to sit with Mr. Thomas in the kitchen and left the three of them alone. 

Kelly still hoped her friend would show up. She went up the clock tower as soon as the couple left every day, telling Rain everything that she had done. Rain wasn’t there, but Kelly hoped she could hear her somehow. She missed her friend and waited for her to return. After two weeks with no sign of her though, she decided she had to give up, eventually. She didn’t bother bringing the extra stool from the corner for Rain at the table during lunchtime and stopped looking over her shoulder to see if Rain was following her. It was always rainy. At first Kelly thought that this was the reason Rain wasn’t at the orphanage anymore. She must have been out in the rain, playing. 

“Doesn’t Rain want to meet us?” Eric asked Kelly one day. “Why is she always hiding when we keep you company?” 

“I haven’t seen her since you came,” Kelly explained. “I think she left me.” Kelly looked down at her feet. “Maybe I said something that made her angry.” 

Melissa stroked Kelly’s hair. “I’m sure you didn’t. I bet Rain has some serious reason to leave like that. Can you think of anything?” 

“She came when I was very sad, but she made me feel better. And when I cried she got wet, like it rained on her.” 

Eric’s face lit up. “Do you know what’s going on right now?” 

“What?” Kelly asked, not understanding the question. 

“It’s raining,” he whispered. 

“Yeah…” Kelly sighed. 

“Do you know what I think?” Kelly shook her head. “I think that Rain hasn’t left completely. She must be causing the rain.” 

“Why would she do that?” 

“Rain is a princess. All princesses can do magic,” Melissa chimed in. “She had to go, maybe to help another friend of hers who is feeling sad.” 

Kelly looked up, her eyes widening in surprise. “You think so?” 

“Of course. She wants you to know she’s watching over you. As long as it rains, she knows where you are and how you’re doing. So, if you want to say something to her, she can always hear you.” 

Kelly smiled. “She can?” Eric and Melissa must be right. Rain hadn’t left her. That made her very, very happy. 

It wasn’t long before Melissa and Eric sat down and had a serious talk with Kelly. They asked her if she wanted to come live with them at their home. They explained that they would be her new family, if she wanted it, of course. Kelly immediately said yes, as long as Rain could stay with them if she came back. Her things were ready and packed before the next morning. She didn’t have much to take with her after all. Only a few clothes. She left most of the drawings at the top of the clock tower so that Rain could look at them when she went back there; there was only one that she wanted to take with her. The one where Rain was with her mom, the queen, and her dad, the king, and they all lived in a beautiful big tower,without a dragon. 

“Kelly, wait!” Mrs. Kerkin had called just before she stepped out of the orphanage. “I think you can keep this.” She gave her the xylophone. “Nobody ever plays with it other than you.” 

“Thank you, Mrs. Kerkin.” She smiled. 

Mrs. Kerkin’s expression softened, half-smiling, half-serious. She cleared her throat and patted Kelly’s shoulder. “Take care, kiddo.” 

Finally, Kelly was free to go, holding her xylophone tightly against her chest, with her new family to her new home. And Rain was there too, watching every step they took under their big umbrella in the rain.

* * * * *

It is quite common for children between the ages of three and five years to have an imaginary friend. Approximately 40 to 65 percent of all children have imaginary friends at some point during childhood. 

Imaginary companions are an integral part of many children's lives.They provide comfort in times of stress, companionship when they're lonely, someone to boss around when they feel powerless, and someone to blame for the broken lamp in the living room. Most important, an imaginary companion is a tool young children use to help them make sense of the adult world.

Children develop imaginary friends to help deal with change or times of transition. These may include the birth of a new child in the family, a friend moving away, death of a relative, or starting school.

They are created for many different reasons, but the one thing they have in common is their eventual disappearance. It seems that there is rarely a well-marked event that leads to the disappearance of imaginary friends. Usually, imaginary friends simply fade away. Sometimes they are forgotten, but sometimes they are remembered even in adult life, in vivid detail, and with great affection.