When a Girl Prays for Rain

I am but a cloud, floating from place to place.

The world below was always interesting to observe. On occasion, I stayed in one place for a while, keeping watch over a single creature, seeing how they lived and died.

I once spent over five hundred years watching an oak tree from the moment of its birth. Though, I couldn’t say I initially expected to do so. It just so happened that when I hovered over an empty plain of dirt, I saw a bit of green sticking up from the ground. That bit of green wasn’t there the last time I passed by, so I was rather intrigued to see what would happen. I decided to stick around and watch it grow.

Slowly, the leaves grew larger as a bean-like trunk raised them higher into the air. The number of leaves increased as more branches sprouted from its sides. It didn’t take long for the tree to reach the height of a person.

As the tree continued to grow taller, more bits of green started to sprout around the area. First came the grass, washing away the brown view with a relaxing green. Then the flowers bloomed, adding a bit of color from light purple to a deep yellow. Even more trees sprouted, providing a canopy for other beasts to make their homes. After a hundred years, an entire forest appeared – a stark contrast from the nothingness before.

All the while, the small sapling grew larger and larger, clearly standing above the rest of the surrounding trees. After another hundred years or so, small flowers dotted the branches before turning into acorns, falling to the ground. Most of them remained where they landed, but a lucky few were stolen by small squirrel-like beasts, ferrying them away to the corners of the forest. Those acorns went on to become the next generation of trees.

Half a millennia later, midway through the tree’s prime, a group of people carrying axes and saws made their way into the forest. It didn’t take long for them to notice the giant tree in the center of the forest: the perfect material to make their abodes and tools. And so, a few months later, without a single complaint, the giant tree toppled over, drawing its last breath.

It was a bit anticlimactic how the tree’s life came to an end, but that was how the story usually went. It was rare that death wasn’t so abrupt. However, the tree’s legacy remained – its story forever etched into the world. The bustling forest provided a home for thousands of creatures, while the next generation of trees slowly grew towards the splendor of their ancestor.

I had seen many similar stories throughout my travels. I existed long before these creatures were born and environments formed, and I would exist long after they died and disappeared. Regardless, every life was worth watching.

And this time is no different.

I floated near a small village on the outskirts of a desert. There were scarcely any people as the lack of water made it difficult to grow any crops. The ones who remained were either gaunt from malnutrition or motionless in a pile just outside the village’s border. All of their eyes looked the same: hollow and devoid of hope.

However, amongst the diminishing townspeople, there was one who clung to life. A small girl in paltry garbs dug her knees into a splotch of dirt, slightly tearing her clothes. Her hands clasped in prayer, remaining in that spot from just before the sun rose to well after the sun had set. She seemed to be muttering something, so I used mana to take a listen.

“Please, gods in the clouds above, please bless us with water so that we can survive. Please, gods in the clouds above, please let it rain.” She muttered those two lines over and over, as if in a trance. She never once looked up to see if anyone would answer her.

I know I’m not a god: I’m but a cloud. However, since I’m a cloud, I can provide some rain. I always make sure to keep an excess after the sandcastle debacle five years ago.

And so, I rained on the girl from above, answering her prayers.

As the first drops hit the ground, the villagers walked out of their homes, shuffling towards the sound. Their eyes looked up in disbelief. They held their hands like a basin, trying to catch what seemed like an illusion. Once filled, they stared blankly for a while before taking the tiniest sip. Then another. And another, until their hands were empty once again. They looked back up towards the sky, opening their mouths wide, crying at the sight.

All the while, the girl continued to pray.

~~~

Every day, the girl prayed for rain. And every day, I rained down upon her. The villagers began to look healthier, and their crops started to grow abundantly.

Though, I’m kind of surprised the crops haven’t flooded. I am raining down water, right? It looks like water.

…

Eh, I’ll look into it later.

After a month, the village was completely revitalized. The villagers harvested the grown crops while kids played in the sand. The crops sold so well that they were even able to buy some additional items like clothes and tools. Gone was the silent death that hovered over the village. Instead, everyone smiled, the light in their eyes looking forward to the next day. There was no more need for rain, at least, not in this village.

So, the little girl grabbed a bag and made plans to leave.

“Wait a moment!” an older woman called, her mother probably, catching the little girl before she left the house. The little girl turned around, her eyes resolute with whatever decision she made. Her mother took a deep breath, frozen from her gaze, before giving a sad smile. “If you’re going to help the other villages, I think you should dress the part too.”

Her mother held out some clothes, offering them to the little girl, not allowing her to say no. The little girl stared for a moment before taking them back to her room.

When the little girl came out, she wore a brown, long-sleeved top and skirt. Her feet slipped inside newly made flats that could handle a lot of walking. The girl looked like an oxymoron: rather plain but beautiful at the same. Her mother was speechless, but the moment after, she stepped towards the little girl, hugging something that seemed ephemeral. It was as if the mother would never see the little girl again.

The little girl did not return the hug, but for the first time, the little girl smiled.

~~~

The little girl ventured from the village, walking along the border between the desert and plains. Whenever she was close to running out of food, she would plant some seeds and pray for water. I rained down, and the next day, fully grown crops sprouted from the ground. Whenever she was dirty, my rain cleaned her body, removing every speck of dirt.

This definitely can’t be water…

Whenever the little girl reached a new village, she sat on her knees near their fields, praying for rain to come. The villagers always had the same reactions when I answered her call: disbelief, then surprise, and finally joy. As soon as the village was able to recover, the little girl left as abruptly as she arrived.

Because of that, the surrounding villages started to call her the ‘Rain Saintess’.

~~~

Five years had passed since I first met the little girl. Although, I shouldn’t call her a little girl anymore. She had the body of a mature woman; a few wrinkles dotted her forehead.

Apparently, different races of people age at different rates. I estimate that for every year a human lives, five years pass for the saintess.

All the villages along the desert border thrived from the saintess’ intervention, becoming the breadbaskets of a nearby city. According to the villagers, the places I rained could eternally grow healthy crops without regard to the soil or environment.

At this point, I’ve stopped thinking about what my water is. I’m sure another person will let me know eventually.

The saintess, having finished helping the last village recover, turned to a nearby merchant caravan. The merchant tensed as she approached.

“W-what can I do for you today Saintess? I have plenty of salves and potions if you require them. They may not be as strong as your rain, but they will definitely get the job done.”

“Are you heading to the city after this?”

“Huh? You mean Baran? I am.” The merchant did not expect the saintess to ask that question, but his calculating mind could already figure out what she was going to ask next. “Do you need a ride to the city?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

“Of course not! I would never turn you down!’ the merchant laughed, though his tone remained respectful. “We will be leaving after noon.”

The saintess nodded her head before wandering back towards the crops, praying once more.

~~~

The caravan trotted down the dirt path, rocking from side to side. Some of the other villages had flattened paths for travel, but the last village only recently opened up trade routes, so the path was not complete. However, the saintess didn’t utter a single word of complaint, instead directing her attention towards me. She stared a lot when she wasn’t praying. It felt as though her mana was reaching out to me.

Eventually, the caravan arrived in the city. The saintess disembarked, gathering the stares of the people as she walked down the street. A few people attempted to solicit her help, but she turned them all down. She even turned down a fancy looking man in black robes, much to his chagrin. Apparently, rain wasn’t needed in this city.

The saintess snaked down a back alley, each step filled with confidence. The sleek, well-maintained buildings gradually became dilapidated. The air fogged over with smog. The gravel path piled up in some places and had sinkholes in others. However, the saintess did not turn around, as if she had a plan.

The next moment, the saintess was stabbed in the abdomen.

Her attacker hid on a side path obscured by the smog. When she passed by, the assailant rushed out, stabbing the saintess in one clean motion. He ran away without saying a word.

The saintess laid dying on the ground; however, she did not scream or moan in pain. Instead, she remained absolutely still, as if she didn’t feel anything in the first place. Soon, her heart would stop beating. It would've been interesting to see her live a bit longer, but that was how creatures were. They lived and died in a multitude of ways.

And so, as the saintess breathed her last, I floated away…

“Are you there? I have a request for you, cloud in the sky.”