Pirun was the god of rain. He blessed rainfall upon planet Earth every year to sustain the world, otherwise, everything would die out.

Some said Pirun was the kindest, calmest and the most decent among the other gods. He often granted people happiness, mostly to those who practiced their behaviour justly and cursed those who told lies and forego their morals with misfortune.

.

.

Today is the beginning of June where it’s full of rain dropping from the sky, smoked with the blue-grey colour. Various tones of umbrellas are visible below, most of them black, while a few are blue, pink, and less of others.

Among the crowd of the people, there is a guy right at the corner of the bus stop, standing still with his neat hair- gelled back together with perfect black suit. He has an oval- structured pale face, sharp mysterious bright red eyes and thin brown lips. Although his absurdly tall height makes it hard not to notice him, but it somehow goes well with the rest of his body. Everyone can see that he has a fine figure.

With all the hurried-moment of bunches, it is only the man whom he stands like a figurine. His arms lie beside the body, neck straightened, with eyes staring directly in front of him but focusing nowhere.

As he’s about to close his eyes, suddenly, everything becomes slower. All eyes see the rain clearer, and unconsciously, they actually start to feel more of the rain with its sound and strong scent that is hard to forget.

Once he opens his eyes, invisibly red aura covers all over his body, the trees that surround the area shaken as if they are about to explode. People begin to run rapidly, seeking somewhere to hide, complaining-mumbling voices are being heard all over the place.

The man with flawless appearance residing under the dark alcove appears to raise the right corner of his mouth. He smiles a little wider, but, this time,  with a devious arrogant pair of eyes.

...

With just two blinks. He disappears.

*

I hate rain.

I’ve been trying to figure out how people could find rain to be romantic, but I’ve got no answer. In a place where rain brings along the smell of trash and dog feces like here, in Thailand, it’s just too hard to believe that there are people out there who think of the rain as their ideal romantic fantasy. Please, everyone. Be realistic.

I am now standing at a bus stop waiting for the rain to lightly fall. The sound of raindrops hitting the roof is as annoying as yesterday, or every other rainy day actually. I hold the umbrella in my right-hand tightly when I see the sky becoming bluer. I hear students opposite to my university talking loudly, some of them are talking about their favourite boyband that has just released a new music video, and some discussing their test score and dreamed-university.

I smile a little to myself when I overhear their conversations. It reminds me of the time I was in high school, suffering from all the tests that I had to take in order to get into my current university that, right now, I want to drop out of.

“The heck,” I cannot help myself but swearing when those million drops of water start to fall down even harder and unseeingly to stop. The students are complaining, I think. I cannot hear what they are saying but with those quick-moving mouths and their tied- eyebrows do give me  the impression. They begin to gather themselves at the very centre as much as they can possibly do that I, who have been standing here for almost an hour, feel uncomfortable due to their smell, you know, and with rain, it gets worse.

“Excuse me— thank you. Excuse me please— Thanks.”

I decide to escape from that packed area. Once I neared the edge of the bus stop roof, I raise my umbrella and start to walk carefully trying not to get my shoes wet even though I know it won't work.

It takes around five minutes, for a normal-step walk to my condominium from that bus stop, but I’m now feeling like it has been half an hour already. 

I raise my eyes to see that there are about forty steps to the front of my place. I start to speed up but after just a few strides, I spot someone in the dark corner of the building I’m heading to. A man in black..? Who in the world would--stand there with that perfect-styled hair and a black suit under this terrible weather? No one would do so, right? Or maybe he is in a rush but couldn’t leave because of the rain...?

I scan the surroundings and see nobody around me. There are only me and him who stand in this area, but it is only me who has an umbrella which will be unnecessary in the following minutes.

I walk straight to him without any doubt. This umbrella will be useful to him since he's wearing that expensive outfit, he should be careful with that.

“Excuse me. I— err— I think you need this.” He slowly opens his eyes, a sharp beautiful pair of eyes, I’d say.

“I mean it seems like you have some significant event, but I assume you don’t have an umbrella with you. Don't worry, it takes me not many seconds running to my condo so please take it. I’m more than willing to give it to you.”

I forcefully offer him by settling it against the wall. He’s still staring at me but with a cold expression. He might think that I’m nosy or whatever, but I don’t mind. I smile back at him before I notice the trees swinging terribly due to the wind blowing stronger.

“Have a nice day Mister”

That’s the last sentence I tell him before I run as fast as I can to get to the condo before the rain falls heavier.

*

THREE-MONTHS-STRAIGHT-RAIN FALLING, A DISASTER

A devastating flood brings Vector-Borne diseases. According to Siriraj hospital, it is stated that there are now thirty-nine people who did not survive for the disease and sixty-five more appear to come across this certain condition. The hospital suggests avoiding flooding areas and if you have a fever, cold, cough or exhaustion, all these symptoms at the same time, you should visit medical centres immediately.

                                                      Author , Thapanee Iadsrichai

“You should leave.” 

“No.”

“Will it worsen?” 

“...”

“I am too selfish”

“My dear, you aren’t.” 

“Don’t. Just don’t.” 

“Look at me.”

“...”

“It doesn’t matter. They will die eventually, sooner or later.”

“Doesn’t matter?”

“Yes, does not matter.”

“How dare you say that to me?”

“It is the truth.”

“Every life matters!”

“Well, I don’t think so. Human race kills and dies every single day like a routine.”

“This is just--”

“Your race is absurd, you know it, yeah? I love seeing them stab one another to death just for those thin papers in their pocket. That’s more entertaining than my home amusement.”

“...”

“Don’t think too much darling, I love you.” 

“You need to go back.”

“No.”

“This is too selfish.”

“No, my dear. You aren’t.”

*

This endless empty darkness frightened me. I could not remember how many hours I had been trapped here. I screamed, I cried, I even begged but nothing happened.

I told myself several times that I needed to stop whining or else, I’d die faster but I just couldn’t. All I wanted was to leave. I would do anything to get out of this frightful vacant place.

I felt the wind. I looked around, again, seeing nothing but as I turned back, green leaves floating in the air appeared right in front of me.

“You sure you could do anything?” 

I kept staring at those floating leaves as I listened to the mysterious whisper, and noticed ,automatically, that every part of my body was numb, completely. All the self-defence movements that I learnt before were useless when I heard that beautiful-- and husky, but nonetheless creepy voice speaking. I swear to god I had never felt this cold before, not even when I got caught doing something terribly wrong.

“I believe you, honey. You don’t need to swear.” said, again, the unknown.

My tears was falling unstoppably. Neither my flesh nor myself was important. Fearfulness started to destroy my soul and I couldn’t see where it would end.

“Don’t be honey. You’ve lived with the most powerful and dangerous god ever, for months.” I was weeping so much harder after that vigorous voice mentioned him. He whom I didn’t want to think about, but it was far too difficult when even the orange homey lighting in my room reminded me of him.

“Almost a year of rain pouring, nine months of flooding, three thousand-nine-hundred and eighty-seven people die, more than two thousand are under terrible conditions, they are depressingly sick, lost their homes, families, friends, money, some lost everything, every--thing, you hear that right, honey?” Honey. That word he used to call me. He knew I liked it so much although I told him to stop calling me by such pet names.

“Uhh--you little meaningless creatures and romantic daydreaming cannot be parted I suppose. But your race is fascinating, don’t get me wrong, honey. Humani really is fascinating.” 

Unnoticeably, after the sentence's finished, little by little, I began to see the shape of green light turned into an elegant woman's body, but the darkness prevented me from seeing her face. Her bare feet strode towards me slowly, grass along with pretty white and blue flowers blooming underneath. As she came closer, I started to catch her beautiful smile and glamorous eyes which looked at me, blankly, as if I was merely air to her.

I was breathing shakenly, trying to control myself from the distressing of the surroundings where the emptiness was gradually replaced with trees and bushes. Fountain sound, birds chirping, howling wind and other natural sounds completely took over this place under her power. She used only her right hand to wave from right to left, summoning a flashy green aura that soon covered all over her body, gliding through her arms and spreading out everywhere until, finally, the darkness had disappeared.

“Wh-- Where am I?” I asked, timidly, with my bloody lips, my hands too, after I pinched myself out of fear.

She didn’t answer but continue standing like she used to, but now, I saw her green aura started to fall into the ground. Few minutes later, dark brown spike roots began to poke from the earth and intertwine themselves hurriedly.

“Do you like it here, honey? My world--our world.” She spoke to me at the same time as when the emerald light started to fade and an abundant jungle appeared instead. Also, all those messy roots had formed themselves to be her delicate throne, adorned with colourful freesias.

My eyes opened widely as I recognized her.

It’s her. This is her.

She walked up and turned to me before she sat on her throne, then smiled gorgeously.

“Pirun would talk about us sometimes I suppose.” I rolled my eyes down after I heard his name. Everything about him was too painful to remember. I needed to forget him.

“You probably will honey. I believe you’d not want to think about him ever again after this following minutes.” She closed her bright green eyes after she finished her talk. The emerald aura appeared again, but this time, it was so strong and powerful that the huge green force shot up to the sky, and then the wind started to howl harshly that I had to claw and attach myself to a tree, otherwise, I’d be blown away.

I was crying so hard with my eyes shut. I could hear lightning sound, I knew that the  thunderclap occurred right in front of my face but I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t.

And once I notice that I need to calm myself, I found out that I couldn’t move, my body was bound by the roots of the tree I was holding, and I couldn’t help myself but wept harder.

“Please, Goddess. Please.” I begged desperately. I begged even I knew that she wouldn’t let me go.

“I’m so sorry honey but I’m here to finish my duty and--, never once have I failed.” She raised her voice, powerfully, against the thunder and that devastatingly scared me more.

A touch of wetness on my ankles made my eyes opened. The water was covered with her green sparkling power, and was expanding very quickly.

“P--Pirun. Please, please.” I cried his name out of my fear of dying. For all of my life, he’s the only person in this world who I fully trusted, and he sure was the one who could help me escape from here.

“He’s not coming honey. Do you think you’re the only one who has to be punished? No, no.” Again, Goddess Shakti smiled vacantly. She stared at me weeping from her throne waving her hand with those bright green light pointed downwards to control the water.

I tried to raise my head up protecting myself from drowning but, a few minutes later, it reached my mouth, and I was choking so severely that I couldn’t find my breathe.

My body was numb, all of my five senses were nearly to shut.

The last thing I saw before I went to rest is rain.

*

Special Thanks to Professor Suriyan, Lily, Kao, Titan and Yoojin?