Reverse of the Rain

At the center district, a group of people gathered. there was a missing people board, where men and women searched for their lost loved ones.

In the midst of the crowd, Rain walked with a group of children. He gently rubbed one child’s hair and asked, “Audria, are your parents here?” He then sat down and pointed towards a group of people up ahead.

Audria, the child he had addressed, looked in the direction he pointed. There was a man wearing leather clothing dressed up with soft fabric, giving him a noble appearance. He sat on a chair, looking sorrowful and clutching a scrap of paper. Audria turned back to Rain, but remained silent.

Rain asked again, “Is he your papa?” Audria glanced back at the man and slowly nodded, speaking softly, “Yes, papa...”

Rain Rubbed her hair once more and said, “Okay, follow brother to meet him okay.” He held her hand and walked towards the man.

The man had noticed their approach and looked up, as if unable to believe his eyes. He rubbed his tired eyes with a dirty sleeve, but the picture of his daughter remained in front of him. No words escaped his lips, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly. Finally, he gathered his senses and spoke in a hoarse voice, “A-Audria?”

Audria still handed with Rain, while another hand clutched her own dress tightly, then nodded “y—yes.” Audria stayed closer to Rain, wanting some place to comfort her own heart.

Like Noble man hearing the holy bell, he knows her daughter's voice. This little, tiny and clear voice is definitely his daughter's voice. But after searching for her all week, he couldn’t help but wonder if this was just another hallucination caused by exhaustion. So, he looked towards the teenager standing beside her.

Rain looked at Audria’s father and said, “Yes, she is your daughter. Audria. We found her outside the town, lost in the crowd...”

Upon hearing Rain’s words, the man rushed forward and knelt down, touching Audria’s shoulder and said “Audria... father... sorry.” Tears welled up in his eyes.

However, Audria turned her face towards Rain and buried it in his robe, refusing to look at the man. Her father had taken aback, confused by what was happening.

Rain scratched his face. He sat down with knees on the ground and gently held Audria’s tiny hand in both of his. A warm sensation spread through her little hand. “It’s okay, Audria. Your father didn’t mean to leave you there. See? Dirt is all over his cloth, he looking for you every day. It just little accident, can you good him?”

Audria looked at Rain, paused for a moment, and then slowly turned her head back to her father. Just as Rain had said, her father’s clothes were all dirty. His hands had scratches and cuts. Waters started gathering at corner of her eyes. “Papa, I...good you, but I’m...so scare Hick! I’t so dark... Sob!”

Instinctively, her father hugged her tightly. “P-Papa, sorry, Papa won’t let you go alone again.” Tears fell onto his clothes. Audria couldn’t hold back her tears any longer and cried loudly, holding her father tightly.

Rain stepped back, giving them some space to reunite. He then searched for other parents, but fortunately, people noticed Rain’s group. The children saw their parents.

“Father!” “Mother!” “Maria” “Enva” Shouted names in excitement. Name after name was called out as they rushed to their loved ones. People looked around, hoping to find their lost family members as well, but fortune and luck were not on everyone’s side. Only a few were fortunate enough to be reunited.

Rain observed the scene closely, ready to intervene if anything went wrong. But in this place, people were only searching for the warmth of their loved ones. After watching for a moment and confirming that everything was okay. It okay now. I shouldn’t bother them anymore.

He took a step back and walked back towards the road.

One young girl waved a hand at Him. Her brown hair tied up in a ponytail matches her nutshell eyes. She was wearing a white shirt with scarf , short pants, and short boots. In her hand, she carried a big basket. “Brother, did Audria find her parents?” the girl asked.

“Yes, we found them. And others found their parents too,” Rain replied, helping the girl carry her basket. “Aren’t you bored, Ivara? Coming with me like this every day? Why don’t you go play with the other?”

“No, I’m not bored and I don’t want to go around the church. Come help, brother. It’s more better.” she took out the paper, which had a list of names with scribble handwriting. She lined out the last name on the list.

Rain tilted her head and looked at her paper. “Is it the last one?” Rain asked.

She folded the paper in half and put it in her pocket. “But there are still many people on the board. Shouldn’t brother help them?”

Rain started walking. “Um, don’t worry too much. We’ve already done our best. Sometimes luck isn’t for everyone, so we can only do what we’re capable of.” Am I speaking too difficultly for her? Rain wondered.

But Ivara seemed to understand. Her eyes grew a little dim, and she nodded, saying, “Um, luck isn’t for everyone.” She walked alongside Rain.

Rain noticed her mood. Ivara also lost her parents when she was a little kid. Thanks to that hunter couple who took her in as their stepdaughter. Rain reached out her hand and rubbed Ivara’s head. “Don’t be sad. You still have Iva and Radnor. They’re also good parents, you know?”

“Uwa Uwa, stop, brother Rain. My hair is messy,” Ivara said, rubbing her own head, hoping to make her hair tidy, but it only became more tangled. She looked up at Rain, with the tips of her eyebrows touching her eyes, and pointed her two fists downwards towards the floor. “I’m angry at brother!”

Rain watched the angry little princess with a teasing smile on his face. “Okay, okay, I’ll fix it, okay?”

“No, I’m angry!” Ivara rushed forward.

Rain followed her. “Okay, okay, I’ll give you a candy!”

“Hump! I don’t want it, and I’m not a kid anymore!”

“Eh~ last week you said you loved it.”

“Hump!”

“Okay, okay, I’ll give you two.”

“Four!”

“Ivara, you should step one by one.”

“Four!”

“...ok”

the voices of the two echoed along the alley.

—§—

Rain carried two baskets full of goods, and Ivara didn’t lag behind much, carrying a bag with both hands. Both of them walked back to the refugee camp.

People noticed them and came to lend a hand, helping Rain and Ivara with their loads. “Hi Father Rock, same place?” one man asked.

“Yes, please. In the kitchen. But help Ivara first. It seems small, but it’s heavier than mine. Mine is just flour and bread.”

“O-Okay,” the man replied. When he received the bag from Ivara, it was heavier than he expected. How could such a little arm carry such a weight? “A fire stone for cooking?”

“Thank you, Uncle. Yes, it is a firestone,” Ivara said, bowed to thank, then come help Rain carried another basket.

All walked towards the center of the kitchen zone. “Hi Father Rock.” "Hi Ivara." many people greet them. They placed down bags and baskets on the table.

“Are these from them again?” Sound of lady asked from the back.

“Yes, Madam. They are all from inside Area Towner,” Rain replied, looking at Madam Iva. Madam Iva dressed in a long brown dress that reached her ankles, tied with a cooking apron. Madam Iva had neatly tied her hair in a bun on top of her head.

“Yes, when they saw brother, they came to greet him and gave us all these things. If I didn’t go with brother, brother wouldn’t have brought it all back,” Ivara said.

Madam Iva lovingly rubbed Ivara’s hair, which was tangled like a little bird, started shedding its birth fur. “Good job, my daughter,” Ivara touched Madam’s hand before giggling a little.

Rain grabbed two circle wooden chairs that made from simple wood. He placed one in front of Ivara. Ivara sat down, and Rain took the other chair and sat behind her. “Where the other?” he asked.

“As usual, Radnor went hunting with the centric hunter group. They said there are more people in town this year, and the estimated food supply won’t be enough for the upcoming winter,” Madam Iva said. Then she pulled a comb out of her front pocket and gave it to Rain. “Wind and temperature getting colder and colder.”

Rain untied Ivara’s ribbon and started combing her hair. Ivara swung her legs and enjoyed eating the chupachupa candy that Rain had given her as a helper and secretary. “Um, are the children playing at the playground beside the church?” Rain asked, using his finger to draw on Ivara’s back, a circle on the left side and a straight line down on the right side. Do you want a braid or a ponytail?

Ivara used her finger to draw a flower in the air, signaling that she wanted a beautiful braid. Rain tapped her back twice to signal his understanding.

“Yes, but Rave and T brother are also there, keeping an eye on them. So don’t worry too much,” Madam Iva reassured, looking at the two children in front of her. A small smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. “Sweetie, aren’t you going to play with your friends? They miss you.”

Rain divided Ivara’s hair at the top back into three sections and starting to braid it.

“I don’t want to play that much. Helping brother is better. He also teaches me a lot of things,” Ivara replied, taking out a paper from her bag. She unfolded it, revealing scribbled letters and alphabets. “He even taught me how to read,” she smiled.

“Do you still keep that?” Rain asked, twisting the braid into a flower shape and securing it with a wooden hairpin. He acted as if he were a hair designer doing a princess’s hair. Even Madam Iva’s eyes widened slightly, surprised by his talent. Rain gently touched Ivara’s shoulder, letting her know he was done.

Iva touched the hair on her back and could feel the shape of a flower on her head. The other half of her hair floated down. She turned her body to look at her mother, as if Madam Iva knew what her daughter was going to ask. “Yes, it was a pretty flower once... I never believed that someone could tie hair so beautifully but have handwriting as messy as a chicken’s walk, and every word spelled wrong, like a dog barking,” Madam said, touching her chin.

Rain looked at Madam with half-closed eyes and said, “Madam, you thought is out loud.”

“Ops... sorry, Father Rain.” she replied with a wry smile.

“Even though it’s worse than my handwriting, I still like it and keep it all. Don’t be sad, okay... brother Rain?” She took out all the notes from her pocket to show that she had kept them all.

Have I done worse than kid’s write? Tears fell inside. Rain smiled wryly, saying, “T—Thank you...”

Ivara flipped through the papers one by one. They were all terrible.

“Hump... maybe... Or should I say, his handwriting is more like a fish. That would be more accurate. It flops around sloppily, as if it’s writing underwater. The shape is wiggly and strange.” Madam Iva murmured.

“Mother!” “Madam!” they both said at the same time.

“Ops sorry.” Madam said, still smiling.

Rain released his tense on eyes, stood up and asked, “What have you will do today, Madam?” He looked around the cooking area, where many volunteer cooks were busy in the kitchen. The elderly were the ones who came forward to provide the most help in this area.

Hold her own arm. Pointing her fingers up, she said, “Definitely a stew one, a potato soup one, and some spice dishes that we haven’t decided yet... maybe a chicken dish. It depends on when the group of hunters comes back...” She closed her eyes, deep in thought, as if she had forgotten something. “Ah! Also, we have to prepare winter-preserved food. Pickles and dried meat.”

Rain walked over to the table, saying, “That’s a lot of tasks.” He reached for the apron, but Madam’s hand was quicker and snatched it away.

“A-Ah, thank you, Father Rain, but cooking is prohibited for you.”

“Why is that?” Rain tilted his head, confused by what Madam had said. “Are my dishes that bad?”

Madam looked into Rain’s eyes, and other cooks also looked at him with the same expression. “No, they’re not that bad. They’re edible. But all your dishes are like a kid’s creations, they’re all too sweet! Even that hell pepper meat dish. How did you make it sweet?” Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Yes, yes, I agree with you. He also turned our sour onion fries into sweet onion rings. How is that even possible?” Auntie chimed in from afar.

“Nah, have you not seen it? He uses that plant called ChupaChupa to turn our fish sauce meat into sweet meatballs that taste like chocolate. It’s really something, but in a weird way,” Uncle added. Many agreed with his statement.

“I just added a little of sugar to make it easier for everyone to eat,” Rain pinched his index finger, showing Madam Iva and everyone else.

But everyone looked at him, shaking their heads. Rain turned his head to look at Ivara, but sadly, she also shook her head, not supporting his thoughts. Ivara grabbed Rain’s hand and said, “But... but your desserts are the best! I love them all.” But her words didn’t help much. His confidence had already flown away.

With his head held high, his eyes gazing at the sky in the distance, the summer breeze brushed against his soul. Tiny drops of tears fell down, shining bright like rays of sunlight. “Thank... you...” Ivara tugged at his arm, bringing his soul back. Come back, come back, brother.

“Vara... bring Father Rain to rest or just go practice your bow like usual.” Madam Iva handed her a basket with a bowl of soup and half a cut of bread.

Receiving the basket from her mother, “Okay, mother.” She took Rain’s hand and dragged out of the kitchen. Rain followed by obediently. Rain murmured, “I just added a little... How can I, who have a medal of royal chef, not be able to cook... Damn holy curse...”

“Brother, don’t be sad. Everyone can practice, and your cooking and writing can improve even further...” Ivara said.

“Ha... ha ha... thank...”

Madam Iva bid them farewell with a smile, and shortly after the children left the kitchen, a man entered. Sweat covered his face. “Iva, the people have gone missing again. We searched all over the city, but there was no sign of them. We even checked the nearby forest, but there are no traces either,” he explained.

Madam Iva’s face grew serious. “Um...” Then lost in thought.