Rain never fell slowly; or at least, it never seemed to.
Muggle London was a grey, dreary, ugly town only brought to life by the sounds of car horns and the hustle and bustle of people. It was hard to view a city so laden with history as ugly yet, he did. An artist who claimed he could find beauty in even the hideous of things could find no beauty in a town such as this one. And as he sat there, on the grass under the shade of a large oak tree in one of the prettiest parks the city possessed, he continued to find little or no beauty. Yet, when the first rumbles of thunder started to crackle over head and the water began to fall from the grey clouds overhead, the city took on a garish kind of beauty and against his better judgement, Elijah stood there, letting himself grow cold and wet in the harsh, summer rainstorm.
As the grumbles of thunder grew louder, Elijah made a decision to return home. Slowly, he pushed his things into his bag, grateful that the leaves of the tree he’d sat under had protected his parchment and sketch book from the rain. He slowly lifted the canvas bag onto his shoulder and turned, casting his eyes across the park in search of a bush shelter under which he could shield himself.
Finding one was the easy part.
In a rare act of courage, the Bulgarian darted out once more back into the rain. He gave a loud, cry of laughter and cared now as he slipped and slid across the muddy grass. He cared not for the way he looked and he certainly cared little for the cold that he would develop as a result of his foolishness. His laughter filled his chest with happiness, something he rarely felt now. He felt truly carefree as he lived in the moment, as he laughed in the moment, as he tasted the new water on his tongue.
“You’re soaking wet, boy!”
An elderly lady with half-moon glasses had stated the obvious and Elijah couldn’t help but grin doggedly at her. She tsked and he offered her some chocolate out of his bag while they waited for the large, red Double Decker that would surely come around the corner at any time.
And so he shared chocolate, right up until the moment the bus came to a stop before them. Then, Elijah helped the elderly woman onto the bus before paying for his fare and climbing the stairs to the upper deck where he collapsed into a seat and turned his gaze on the window, now content to watch the world from an entirely new perspective.