Published: Mar 13, 2026
Rain Water
Rain water cascaded off the roof of a motel. Marie Salman huddled next to the wall, hugging her knees. Long, dirty amber hair clung to her head like a helmet, framing her pale face. She was out of the rain but her clothes were soaked, and her bones ached. She may have been in her early twenties but wrinkles of worry suggested thirty-five or forty, no longer a beauty struggling with youth. The sky over the mountains was black with clouds, though she was fairly sure it was the middle of the day. Flashes of lightning hissed through the thunder of rain and the rush of flowing water. She stared away at the flickering sky, wondering how she had gotten to this place in her life. The air smelled of worms; the ones her father used to keep in the basement for fishing on the weekends.