D.M.Hill
03-11-2014, 08:45 PM
Part One in a series of stories I will be doing on this Character.
As always, constructive criticism is welcomed with open arms.
The Rain Man (Part One)
By D.M.HILL
I watch the window build with condensation as the rain pours harder outside the window. I can feel him watching like he always does. Like he always will whenever the rain comes. But I’ve given up trying to hide, its always useless.
He’s always been there. From my first memory of a downpour. When I first saw him, it was at our old place. The little cottage down on Pertwee lain. I had been three at the time. It was late afternoon, and I had been watching the rain as I am now, staring out at it, facilitated by the way it dropped and exploded in a watery type bomb as it hit the pavement. Rushing to my father’s study where he was working, I had asked if it would be okay to go out in the rain and play. The answer was a yes, as long as I put on my gum boots, and wore my rain jacket. I did as I was told, and soon enough I was playing in the front yard, just beyond the white picket fence that marked the edge of our property.
Splashing through the puddles, looking up and poking out my tongue to taste the rain, spinning in circles until I fell down, too dazed to find my direction. I was having the time of my life. But of course, Everything that has a beginning has an end. Getting back up off the pavement, the water now seeping through my rain coat onto the orange shirt I wore, I felt an indescribable wave of happiness. It was like nothing I had ever felt. I could feel the water on my back now, but I didn’t mind though. I had spotted another puddle a little ways down the road, just on the street corner that linked the two main streets of the town together. I remember saying something along the lines of “Yippee” and had run off towards it. I got close to it, and saw that it was bigger than the one located outside my house, and decided that this was the one I would be playing in from now on.
I had gotten a run up, and was about to jump into the puddle, sending up a thick splash of muddy water in every direction. When there was a sudden flash of lighting somewhere over head, I looked up into the sky to try to find the source of where it had originated. I eventually gave up, and my eyes trailed down to the road once more. And that was when I saw him.
Standing maybe A hundred meters down the street drenched in shadow. At first I thought he was nothing but another pedestrian, walking through the rain to get to wherever he had to go. But I was mistaken, and as he strode closer towards me, I could see that his head, although I couldn’t see his face at the time, was fixed on me. I stopped splashing around and stood in the muddy water, looking at the man. He was still a good distance down the road, enough so that if he were to make any sudden movements, like break into a run, I could easily run back up the pavement and get into my house before he even crossed through the street corner, But something about him kept me staring. The figure walked closer still. It seemed as though he was walking slowly on purpose, taunting me, wanting my three year old body to be frozen to the spot. I could feel it.
Breaking free of the shadows, the figure came into the view. It was hard to tell exactly what he looked like from this far away, but I could at least see some facial features. The left side of its face, was mangled. Burnt flesh stuck to the side of his head like hard strings of spaghetti, and bits of brain matter and skull were visible in the dim, but sure enough, light. It reflected off the bone as he drew closer, and as I watched, his face (or what remained of it) morphed into a kind of sickening grin. The clothes he wore resembled that of a kind of dress code that a biker would stick to, although, they were mostly blackened and stuck to the flesh. Leather, cotton, boots. Its was all there.
It was then, and only then that I had regained my composure, turned from the puddle, and bolted back up the length of pavement, tripping over and badly grazing my right knee as I fell short just of picket fence. I took a glance behind me, and he was still there, trudging towards me like some kind of nightmare vision. I got back up, ran past the end of the fence and through the gate, slamming it shut behind me. I then ran up to the house opened the door, and did the same. I fell, breathing hard and leaning against the oak. Beads of blood had started to form where I had grazed my knee, but I ignored it, leaning over to look out of the front window beside the door. The figure was gone. I had told my parents about it, but they had just passed it off as some form of my subconscious. They said I had too much of an active imagination.
The Rain Man has been following me ever since. It has come every time there has been a storm since that day. I mostly don’t go outside, as long as I can help it. But every time there’s rain, lighting strikes, and he will be there. Standing in the shadows, looking up at my bedroom window. And I’ll look back down at him, wishing him away. He never listens to my pleas. So here I am, Staring out the window, waiting for the Rain Man to come again. Waiting for the thunder, the split second of light, and then him.
I watch, and see the lightning and then I look down. Standing below my window in the garden, looking back up at me as he always does, he’s there. I cant see his face, he’s shrouded in shadow, but I know he grinning up at me. Waiting for the chance when he can get to me. Ten long years he’s been chasing me. Ten long years, wherever I go, whatever I do. I hear a knock at the door and turn. My farther walks in and sees me at the window.
‘John, you have got to stop this. There no such thing as the Rain Man. You know that. The doctor has said as much.’
‘He’s out there right now dad.’ I look down at the monster who has stalked me my entire life, and see he starts to laugh. Dad comes over and look over at where I’m looking. As usual, he sees nothing.
‘Come on, let’s go down stairs.’ He grabs me by the hand, and leads me away from the window. Another lighting strike goes off, and the rain man disappears. I let out a sigh of relief. He’s gone for now.
Outside, the storm starts to weaken, and the rain stops all together, and a figure, looking as though he is fading from existence stands in a garden, looking up at the child’s window. The grin never leaves is face.
As always, constructive criticism is welcomed with open arms.
The Rain Man (Part One)
By D.M.HILL
I watch the window build with condensation as the rain pours harder outside the window. I can feel him watching like he always does. Like he always will whenever the rain comes. But I’ve given up trying to hide, its always useless.
He’s always been there. From my first memory of a downpour. When I first saw him, it was at our old place. The little cottage down on Pertwee lain. I had been three at the time. It was late afternoon, and I had been watching the rain as I am now, staring out at it, facilitated by the way it dropped and exploded in a watery type bomb as it hit the pavement. Rushing to my father’s study where he was working, I had asked if it would be okay to go out in the rain and play. The answer was a yes, as long as I put on my gum boots, and wore my rain jacket. I did as I was told, and soon enough I was playing in the front yard, just beyond the white picket fence that marked the edge of our property.
Splashing through the puddles, looking up and poking out my tongue to taste the rain, spinning in circles until I fell down, too dazed to find my direction. I was having the time of my life. But of course, Everything that has a beginning has an end. Getting back up off the pavement, the water now seeping through my rain coat onto the orange shirt I wore, I felt an indescribable wave of happiness. It was like nothing I had ever felt. I could feel the water on my back now, but I didn’t mind though. I had spotted another puddle a little ways down the road, just on the street corner that linked the two main streets of the town together. I remember saying something along the lines of “Yippee” and had run off towards it. I got close to it, and saw that it was bigger than the one located outside my house, and decided that this was the one I would be playing in from now on.
I had gotten a run up, and was about to jump into the puddle, sending up a thick splash of muddy water in every direction. When there was a sudden flash of lighting somewhere over head, I looked up into the sky to try to find the source of where it had originated. I eventually gave up, and my eyes trailed down to the road once more. And that was when I saw him.
Standing maybe A hundred meters down the street drenched in shadow. At first I thought he was nothing but another pedestrian, walking through the rain to get to wherever he had to go. But I was mistaken, and as he strode closer towards me, I could see that his head, although I couldn’t see his face at the time, was fixed on me. I stopped splashing around and stood in the muddy water, looking at the man. He was still a good distance down the road, enough so that if he were to make any sudden movements, like break into a run, I could easily run back up the pavement and get into my house before he even crossed through the street corner, But something about him kept me staring. The figure walked closer still. It seemed as though he was walking slowly on purpose, taunting me, wanting my three year old body to be frozen to the spot. I could feel it.
Breaking free of the shadows, the figure came into the view. It was hard to tell exactly what he looked like from this far away, but I could at least see some facial features. The left side of its face, was mangled. Burnt flesh stuck to the side of his head like hard strings of spaghetti, and bits of brain matter and skull were visible in the dim, but sure enough, light. It reflected off the bone as he drew closer, and as I watched, his face (or what remained of it) morphed into a kind of sickening grin. The clothes he wore resembled that of a kind of dress code that a biker would stick to, although, they were mostly blackened and stuck to the flesh. Leather, cotton, boots. Its was all there.
It was then, and only then that I had regained my composure, turned from the puddle, and bolted back up the length of pavement, tripping over and badly grazing my right knee as I fell short just of picket fence. I took a glance behind me, and he was still there, trudging towards me like some kind of nightmare vision. I got back up, ran past the end of the fence and through the gate, slamming it shut behind me. I then ran up to the house opened the door, and did the same. I fell, breathing hard and leaning against the oak. Beads of blood had started to form where I had grazed my knee, but I ignored it, leaning over to look out of the front window beside the door. The figure was gone. I had told my parents about it, but they had just passed it off as some form of my subconscious. They said I had too much of an active imagination.
The Rain Man has been following me ever since. It has come every time there has been a storm since that day. I mostly don’t go outside, as long as I can help it. But every time there’s rain, lighting strikes, and he will be there. Standing in the shadows, looking up at my bedroom window. And I’ll look back down at him, wishing him away. He never listens to my pleas. So here I am, Staring out the window, waiting for the Rain Man to come again. Waiting for the thunder, the split second of light, and then him.
I watch, and see the lightning and then I look down. Standing below my window in the garden, looking back up at me as he always does, he’s there. I cant see his face, he’s shrouded in shadow, but I know he grinning up at me. Waiting for the chance when he can get to me. Ten long years he’s been chasing me. Ten long years, wherever I go, whatever I do. I hear a knock at the door and turn. My farther walks in and sees me at the window.
‘John, you have got to stop this. There no such thing as the Rain Man. You know that. The doctor has said as much.’
‘He’s out there right now dad.’ I look down at the monster who has stalked me my entire life, and see he starts to laugh. Dad comes over and look over at where I’m looking. As usual, he sees nothing.
‘Come on, let’s go down stairs.’ He grabs me by the hand, and leads me away from the window. Another lighting strike goes off, and the rain man disappears. I let out a sigh of relief. He’s gone for now.
Outside, the storm starts to weaken, and the rain stops all together, and a figure, looking as though he is fading from existence stands in a garden, looking up at the child’s window. The grin never leaves is face.