Rain Monologue

Rain pummeled the sunken roof of the old barn. Water seeped through the soaked, moldy plywood and dripped into muddy puddles below. The distant roar of rain and thunder almost muffled the sound of a field mouse as she pulled at a tear in an old sofa at the far end of the barn. She tugged at the brittle fabric, trying to extract the light, white fluff for her nest. A barn swallow shivered in the rafters, preening and drying his wet feathers. Despite the ferocious storm, all was peaceful in the barn. Then suddenly, the door was pulled open, scaring the mouse back to her home. Two small figures tumbled in from the rain slamming the door shut behind them. They stood for a moment, silent and dripping wet. Finally, the taller one lit a match, illuminating the boy’s faces. Two brothers: cold,
The field mouse squeaked silently in her sleep, and the barn swallow slept soundly in the rafters. Bernie’s slow and even breaths filled the air. The whole barn was sleeping, except for Bo. The younger boy lay wide awake next to his brother. He couldn’t help but feel homesick for the home he barely lived in for a month. Despite Bernie’s attempts at a father figure, Bo longed for a real father and mother. He wondered if Mr. and Mrs. Tate were looking for them. And if so, how hard were they looking? Suddenly, an idea formed in Bo’s head. Slowly, he crawled out from under Bernie’s arms and grabbed the candlestick from off the ground. He rummaged in the dark until he found Bernie’s rucksack on the ground, then snatched a match from the bag. He quickly lit the candle and carefully walked over to the small window next to the barn door. He placed the candle on the small windowsill and watched as the flame flickered and danced in front of its rainy backdrop. He watched the flame for a while, fascinated by the glowing energy, until his eyelids grew heavy. He crawled back onto the sofa, next to his brother and drifted off into a peaceful