“It’s raining man, stay inside!”
“Nah, I need to go out, or I might die.”
“What do you mean? You’re not going to die”
“We’re all going to die, sooner or later my friend, but I will die sooner if I don’t go outside.”
“In the rain?”
“In the rain.”
Sebastian raised his eyebrows at his forthright friend. “How exactly will you die?”
“Well first my heart will shrink a little, and then my lungs will breathe but without as much heart. My soul will not understand why my heart isn’t full anymore, and I’ll be breathing but hardly alive.”
Sebastian raised just the one eyebrow this time.
“And the rain….” he liked to throw out a little something for Raymond to roll around in his head.
“The rain, rain, rain…rain man” Raymond trailed off into a whisper as his eyes moved slowly skywards.
“The rain makes it easier for my soul to swim. If it’s too dry it just floats, without much direction. I need the rain, the rain’s resistance gives me direction. I need it. I need the rain.”
A pause.
“That’s why they call me Rain Man.” Raymond looked over at Sebastian tentatively.
“Rain, mond…man.” Sebastian corrected himself mid flow. “Rain Man, yep.” he added with a nod as Raymond breathed out in relief.
With that, Raymond stood up with conviction and placed his conical hat over his usually scrambled but now calm head, and walked to the door.
“Wait!” Sebastian called over in haste. “Wait for me. I don’t want to die alone, I’d rather ride in the rain with you.”
A huge grin spread across Rain Man’s lips as he took his bike outside.
“Let’s ride or die!” he called out to his friend as he sped off down the road, rain filling up his heart.
Fin.