A Raindrop’s Journey
The first thing I remember is the lingering, the Mother Cloud holding me, preventing me from the inevitable battle path- the plummet- towards Earth. I remember looking down, seeing the curved horizon of the hulking sphere I knew I would be one day sent to fight. And I trembled.
“Benjamin.” The rumbling voice of Mother Cloud. You would recognize it, though I believe you call her voice by a different name. Thunder. “Do not shake. You must not shiver so. For millennia, your siblings have charged on Earth. You will do the same. It is no use fearing that which is inevitable.” And that was the moment I shut down. I locked away the fear, Mother Cloud’s voice echoing in my mind. No use, no use, no use. I consider that my first death. My second was more final. It started with the preparation of the Charge.
I was chilling with my squad and I think we could all feel the Falling begin. Each moment brought us a little closer to leaving Mother Cloud. We knew what would happen next. The moment we left the other cloud we would begin Falling for real, and then the Charge. After that, no one really knows. You don’t come back. I ignored the familiar tickle of fear in me, sealing it off with a cocky grin. I addressed my best mate, Mike. “You ready for this?”
He grinned back. “You kidding with me, Benji? I was condensed ready for this. May be a death drop, but you know I’ll being enjoying any second I got.”
I laughed. “You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?”
“That she’s a fine formed raindrop at 10 o’clock?” The only one near us, actually. Most of the females knew to stay away from my squad unless they felt like being harassed. I mean, we were harmless, but they tended to keep their distance anyways.
“You know it. Go get her.”
He shot me one last crooked smile as he made his way over to her. A calm came over me then as I watched him flirt shamelessly -we had done this together countless times (had I wanted, I could have told you exactly the words he used, his exact angle, without listening)- and her pretend to be offended even as a hint of a blush rose in her. The boundary of Mother Cload was closer than ever now. Then closer. And closer. Mike’s drop finally moved away from him, huffing, and he headed back to me. And then it began.
I was startled at first as the plummet began, the first few moments of the Falling. I lost all sense of space and time and for just a moment, a ghost of who I head been worked itself up to the surface and I was terrified. But I still remembered her words- no use- and I shoved Benjamin (the small bit of water vapor that clung to Mother Cloud and did his best to please her) back into myself, once again assuming the role of Benji: womanizer, jerk, and best of all, absolutely fearless. That was when the Falling turned into the Falling, second greatest achievement I would ever have, the first steps towards glory and heroism. After all, everyone loves a hero.
I sped towards Earth, its mass appearing larger and larger as I got closer and closer. I looked to Mike, both of us reflecting some mixture of pride and exhilaration. There wasn’t a hint of fear in his face and that helped my confidence to grow. As Earth grew large enough to make out some details, I continued to accelerate. I had entered the Charge.
Mother Cloud lit the sky with flashes of lightning, each striking the Earth with familiar ferocity and force. Each new flash was accompanied by her battle cry. I missed her. Heavens, I missed her. It was enough to allow Benjamin to come crawling back to the surface again. I looked to Mike. He didn’t spam w me a glance at this stage, focused on our foe with a new intensity. For once, he wasn’t grinning, that wicked joy having gave way to some sort of warrior he had been encasing. I felt alone. I was approaching Earth quickly. Too quickly. It was so large. What was I against it? I tried to turn back but I kept falling. I had milliseconds left before I reached the Destination. I was starting to understand why no one came back. They hadn’t passed to some happy retirement elsewhere. The Destination was going to be all of our End. Closer, closer. And arrived.
I expected a crash at least. Perhaps a dent. I Ended with a mere plink on the glass of a car window, Mike next to me. Everyone I knew around me. I couldn’t yell loud enough to those still in the Mother Cloud but I wanted to. I’m not sure what I would have told them. I think I would have told them to stay up there. Don’t give in to the Falling. I don’t know if that was possible. And so, as the next generation began their Falling, I Ended, just as they soon would.