Vivian sat alone at the top of the sycamore tree, staring out into the empty clearing. Her back slumped against the trunk and she sighed, watching the heavy rainfall cascade off of the leaves.
It's been raining like this for days... She thought to herself. She reached up and plucked a fresh leaf from the branch above her, using her nails to rip off the little bits around the edges. She absentmindedly continued to do so while listening to the rain fall. Time slowed significantly, each drop taking minutes to drop from the sky to the ground below. The wind twisted and whipped the leaves off of the trees and threw small twigs into the tree line. She thought of each clear rain drop as a music note; each drop falling faster and faster until they played her a sullen lullaby.

When Vivian was finished, she looked down at the leaf in her palm. She had removed the edges and most of the top, making it curve downwards to resemble the shape of a heart. She narrowed her eyes disinterestedly and tore it in half. She dropped her hand by her side, letting the two halves of her heart slip from between her fingers. I knew it would happen eventually, so I can't be upset about it... She thought again.
"Drop something?" A voice came from below. Vivian looked down -- slightly pissed that someone had just broken her silence -- already guessing who it was. Damien stood there, about a foot below where Vivian was sitting.
"What do you want?" Vivian asked, pushing her arms up to stretch. As she yawned, she felt relieved tears prick at the corners of her eyes.

Damien held up half of her leaf. It was wet and frayed at the ends, like he'd been chasing it in the wind trying to get it. She looked at it for a moment, then took it from him.
"Thanks..." She said, again breaking the silence.
"I saw you walking out here, and I wondered what you could possibly be doing. It's raining, you know."
"No kidding." Vivian said, crossing her arms. Lightning struck in the far distance, lighting up the sky as thunder violently shook the tree.
"W-whoa!" Damien shouted, losing his footing on the wet, slippery bark. He flailed his arms, trying to get a good grip on a branch.
I should just let him fall. Maybe then he'll leave me alone. Vivian thought bitterly. But she quickly reached out and grabbed his wrist.

He looked so helpless, dangling from the tree like that. The thought popped into her mind that she should let him drop, Lion King style, but she shook her head and shoved it into the back of her mind.
Is it just me, or is the rain easing up? She thought, pulling Damien up onto her branch.
"Whew...thanks." He said, scooching over next to Vivian. Vivan sighed, resting her head on Damien's shoulder. There was silence, apart from the now steady pace of the rain.
"I miss you." Damien muttered. Vivian blinked.
"I miss you, too." Yeah. Like a hernia. She thought. The sun poked out from behind the black clouds and the rain stopped abruptly. Vivian covered her face with her arm looked up, as the shining spectrum of color stretched across the sky.


Vivian squinted at the brightness - it had been so dark a minute ago. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet shone down on the shining wet grass. Besides herself, she smiled. Not just any smile, though...a huge grin of relief. After all, someone very close to her had always said: If you want to see the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain.