Rain suddenly pounded the window in a burst and roused him from his sleep.  He crawled out of bed and wandered over to the window, looking out into the street.  The shadows from the streetlights looked like monsters, their arms wickedly outstretched.  He felt safe and warm in his own bedroom.  His door cracked open, the light from the hall creating a diagonal line across the floor.  He followed it with his eyes to find his mother peeking in.  She had her coat on and seemed to jump when she saw that his bed was empty.

     “I’m here, mama.”  She looked over, relieved, and walked in.  She tenderly kissed him on the forehead and looked at him, her warm smile lighting up her face.  “Sweetie, we need to take a quick trip across town to see Frank.  He wants to see me and I don’t want to leave you home alone.  You don’t have school tomorrow, so it’s OK if you stay up a little late.  OK? Now, let’s get your boots on.” 

***

     Edwin sat in his recliner in front of the television.  With a full stomach and a stiff drink by his side, he was settled for the evening.  He placed a cigarette in his mouth and lit it, savoring the dark and woodsy flavor, and closed his eyes with pleasure.  For the moment, the memories that haunted him were mere shadows that lingered in the depths of his mind.  But like the storm that brewed outside, they grew stronger as the night wore on.

     The roaring wind outside seemed to fade.  As he fretfully dozed off in his chair, he saw himself 40 years younger.  His dark hair glimmered and his eyes sparkled.  He was standing in a hospital room, nurses scurrying around him with an air of importance.  Emily’s voice spoke to him softly.  “Oh Eddie, he’s so beautiful.  Come over and help me count his perfect little toes,” Eddie sat down on the hospital bed at her side.  The baby was cradled at her breast; Eddie held her hand and looked down at their child.  “What name do ya think fits him?” he asked.  “Oh, I think he looks like a Brian, it’s such a strong name and he is such a little fighter,” she said as she pulled the little blue blanket up to expose the baby’s fragile feet.  Eddie rolled the name over in his mind and smiled, “Brian’s a good name”.  He bent over and kissed Brian on the head.  The dream faded away, the essence of his child still lingering in his senses.  The storm came alive again, the wind rattling the windows in their frames.  In his half slumber, he snorted and smacked his lips, thirsty for a drink but unable to wake up.  The rain pelted against the house in a steady stream, lulling him like a baby rocked in his mother’s arms.

     As he continued to doze, he heard children laughing and saw Brian tossing a bat and running to first base.  His curly dark hair, so much like his mother’s, was plastered to his sweaty head.  His cheeks flushed in excitement on his pale face.  “Way to go Brian!!” Emily yelled as she jumped up and down beside Edwin, holding his arm and swinging it with her in a fury.  Brian skid into place, a proud smile on his face, smudged with mud and grass.

     Then Edwin heard Brian call, “DAAADDDDYY!” and he ran to him.  Brian was climbing a tree, his spindly legs hanging loose as he wrapped his thin arms around the limbs.  Eddie pried his arms away from the trunk, the boy clinging for dear life.  When he looked at his child to reprimand him, he saw the freckled face of the little red headed boy who always tried to provoke him.

     Tossing in his chair, his memories lingered.  Brian was running on a pier, the sky was fair, but clouds lingered in the distance.  Emily walked towards the boat, heavy laden with towels and blankets as he toted the ice chest.  Laughter rang in his ears, the engine roared, waves gently clunked against the sides of the boat.  Out on the crystal blue water he looked forward to a day in the sun.  But his calm quickly faded as the water became choppy.  Emily and Brian huddled together at the front of the boat, while Edwin called for help.  The boat swayed and rose with the swells of the waves, finally tossing the boat on its side.  Screams, arms flailing, gasping for breath.  Then, only the sound of wind and the banging of something hitting the boat, floating upside down on the water.  Edwin swimming around frantically, calling out their names.  A flash of lightening lit up the room and he woke with a start.  He rubbed his hands agitatedly across his face.

     With a feeling of anguish, Edwin splashed cold water on his face and caught a glimpse of himself in the bathroom mirror.  His eyes were red and puffy, lips swollen and hair flattened on one side.  Uncertainly, he patted his hand to his shirt pocket, finding an empty pack of cigarettes.  He stomped downstairs.

     Edwin peeked out the window while he put his jacket on.  The wind blew the trees into frenzy and the streetlights were dimmed.  He knew he could find his way to the liquor store blindfolded, so he headed out, the rain soaking his feet as he sloshed through the flooded sidewalks. 

***

     Christopher fastened his seat belt.  He watched the windshield wipers flip back and forth, imagining that each wiper was a person and they were endlessly lying down and getting up again.  Down, up, down, up, down, up; it gave him a feeling of uncertainty.  His mother watched the road carefully as she drove, the rain pounding the street in a maddening swirl.  She sat at the edge of her seat, her feet barely reaching the pedals.  Her hands gripped the steering wheel like a vice.  The road ahead of them seemed to vanish into the darkness, leading them into an unfamiliar abyss.  Christopher sat in his seat, alert and ready.  For what, he didn’t know.

     A gust of wind hit the car and sent it soaring across the road into the deep shadows of the wet night.  It skidded uncontrollably and Christopher screamed.  His mother reached across him in an instinctive brace with her free arm.  She tried to correct the spinning car by turning the wheel in the opposite direction, immediately wondering whether she should be turning with the spin, instead of against it, but her hand had reacted on impulse.  When she tried to change her direction, the car took another lurch, this time tumbling upside down and landing with a thud.

     The sound of the rain pounding on the car was oddly calming, while the engine still purred and the lights shined a pathway into the brush.  Christopher grasped his seat belt and unfastened it, tumbling and rolling out of his seat.  His mom reached for him, “Christopher, oh my God, are you alright?  Here, reach up and help me out of my seat.”  When she rolled out, she forced the door open and they crawled out.  The rush of running water was close by, but it was behind them where it was too dark to see.  “Come on, we need to get out of here!.  This way.”  Holding hands they stumbled through bushes and branches, trying to find their way to safety.  As Christopher slipped, his mother stumbled with him, her screams lost in a tunnel of wind.  Water gushed over them.  His mother picked him up and clutched him tightly, walking through the flood, the water picking up with the wind.  She blindly pushed forward.    

***

     Edwin decided against lighting a cigarette.  It would be a useless task in the wind and rain, but he managed to take a swig of his whiskey wrapped in a brown paper bag.  He picked up his pace, eager to get back home where it was warm and dry.  Daydreaming as he trudged along, he realized that the screaming was not in his head but was real, and it was nearby.  He stopped and listened closely.  The voices were coming from behind.  He turned around and walked toward a place in the road where he knew there was a slope.  As he approached, he started to jog, rain streaking across his face.  His heart pounded in fear and the discomforts of overexertion tumbled to the back of his mind.

     In the distance he saw a bulky shadow, two people holding onto each other, struggling through a rushing river.  Without a second thought, he plowed into the water.  He reached the pair and placed his arms protectively around them.  It was a woman and child, drenched and very distraught.  At that moment, he realized that he had somehow lost his bag of whiskey and his cigarettes.  He guffawed at himself, face flushing even in the midst of all the turmoil that was taking place.  The woman collapsed into his arms, shaking and sobbing and the little boy clung on to his legs with a strength that belied his small frame.  Amazed at his own calm, he spoke to the woman, “It’s going to be OK, just hang onto me.” 

***

     Flashing lights illuminated in the rain.  Sirens and shouting permeated the air.  The excited madness of the gathering crowd brought Christopher to his senses.  Shivering and damp, he looked up and thought he recognized the man who had helped them through the flood.  He saw the old man talking to the police, the man whose ragged hair and gravelly voice seemed so familiar.  He tried to walk over to him, but a paramedic stopped him.  “Whoa there little guy, where you off too?  Let me have a look at that nasty little gash on your forehead.”  Christopher brought his hand up to touch it, recalling the crash that had started this whole thing.  He stopped and stood obediently, looking up towards the man helping him, but strained his eyes to watch the old man.  Silent wonderment passed over his face as he realized who the man was.  He swallowed a feeling of shame, and then tears came to his eyes.  “Hang in there buddy, this may sting a bit, when we get you to the hospital, they’ll stitch you up nice and neat.  You’re gonna be just fine.” 

***

     The rain had slowed to a sprinkle, and the wind was dying down.  Edwin calmly walked over to where Christopher stood, his eyes glancing over the boy’s red hair and pale freckled face.  Recognition was apparent in his eyes.  He reached out and ruffled Christopher’s hair, “Well, I guess you have a lot of guts, kiddo.  You did just fine out there.  Are ya OK?”  “Yes sir, I, uh, well, thank you for helping us.”  Edwin turned to walk away.  He looked back at Christopher a moment, then took a deep breath and said, “Well, maybe now you can just come and say hi some time, ‘stead of just climbing that ole tree, causin trouble.”  Then he walked on down the road, towards home.