Rainbows

The rain was thrashing against the windows. Thunder rattled the house. The door swung open and slammed shut, swaying with the roaring wind. It was a spectacle, a swirl of sky and rain as the clouds danced in an orchestra of black and white. 

Zara couldn't hear any of this. She was sitting on her bed, headphones plugged in, listening to music as she won the last round of her game. 

"Yes.." she whispered under her breath as her digital soldier lifter his gun into the air and she was given first place. Winning the round, she closed the game and opened her social media page. Zara wasn't the most popular person, and all of her 65 followers were people she knew personally on her private account. But she was content that way. She closed the app and opened YouTube. More videos concerning the drama going on between people she had never met. Nevertheless, she clicked. It felt good to know secrets, even if they were about someone she didn't know. 

It had been four months since she had seen her friends. High school was ending and they were planning a party. That never ended up happening. Zara was frustrated. She hadn't talked to any of her friends recently, and she felt like an outsider. 

Her phone started ringing. She picked it up and sighed. It was the fourth time her grandmother had called her that day. She picked up and did her best impression of a happy voice. 

"Beta, would you like to go for a walk with me today?" Her grandma asked. 

"Uhm," she glanced outside, "Okay, I'll come."

Reluctantly, she dragged herself off the bed and went downstairs. Her grandma was already waiting. Greeting her with a smile, they started walking. 

"Dadi," Zara asked a few minutes later, "Where are we going?"

Her grandmother merely smiled and said, "We're almost there."

Zara listened to the sound of her feet against the wet concrete, and it relaxed her, much more than, to her surprise, her music did. Little cool droplets of rain occasionally patted her head and kissed her shoulders, sending chills down her back every time. 

A little while later, Zara and her Grandmother rounded a turn and walked past the road. She found herself in a small garden, sandwiched between the busy city, with a clear view of the sky. 

"Wow Dadi, how did you find this place?"

"Well," her grandmother began, "I was stuck at home. At first, this little break from routine seemed good for me. But soon I realized, too much of anything is a toxin. Including free time. I was slipping into laziness, so I started walking around the neighborhood. I found, that all the intrusive thoughts only come in when you're free. So I discovered this place to clear my head. There were two things I could have done. Waited for things to go back to normal, or create my new normal. And I chose the second option. Live your life beta, it hasn't paused. Enjoy every second you can, and when it's too much, don't keep it in. Cry, and cry as much as you need to. You know," she said, pointing to the sky "Rainbows only come after the rain."