张玲

They gathered quickly， rolling in from the vast expanse of sky beyond view. Gray， swirling like smoke from a chimney，saturated1） with crystalline drops ready to fall on the heads of those without an umbrella. The lonely smell of fresh rain invaded the house through the open windows， striking my brother and me like a slap in the face. Disbelieving， I sniffed the air a few times to make sure I wasn't mistaken. Looking over at Christian I said， "Smell that？" He nodded. We rushed to a window， pressing our faces against the glass. The scent hit us again as we stared eagerly at the angry clouds headed our way. Rushing to our rooms for swim trunks2）， we both knew one thing was certain， and we couldn't wait. It was going to rain.

Pulling on my trunks， I yelled， "Christian， hurry！" I headed toward his room. "Come on！" I shifted my feet impatiently. They stuck to the wood floors in the stifling3） humidity.

Christian emerged with a frivolous4） Spiderman swimsuit. He darted to a window to see whether the rain had started. It hadn't， but almost. Once outside， we stared expectantly at the sky as it shifted to and fro. Wind ripped through5） the trees， scattering frightened leaves. Once again， that lonely smell permeated6） my nostrils7） and I became even more excited about what was coming. A few moments later， something cold dropped on my shoulder， leaving it tingling8）. My eyes darted across the sky， searching for more.

Next to me I heard my brother gasp， and his hand rose to his cheek， where a single raindrop glistened. I noticed dark spots on the driveway where drops had fallen. It was bound to begin soon， I thought. It couldn't be much longer， could it？

Suddenly， the sky opened up on the two of us， raindrops falling from the churning9） clouds， surrounding us in a shower of glistening gems shattering on the pavement， our hair， our chests. The rain turned the driveway into a reflecting pool， clouded by boundless ripples， spreading ever outward. Steam rose up from the parched10） asphalt11）， creating a fog.

Our bare feet splashed in puddles as the rain pounded on us. Normally， we would have scoffed at the notion of dancing in a rainstorm， but we were giddy12） and acting on impulse.

By now， we were both soaked through， our hair plastered13） to our heads. I don't think I'll ever be dry again， I thought. But I didn't care. Each drop was so refreshing； we danced across the yard， shouting and laughing.

I made a wild leap into the muddy grass. Standing up， Christian pointed at me and laughed. My chest and face were painted brown， and I had mud caked14） in my hair. Grinning， I scooped up a double handful and hurled it at him. He turned away and the globs15） struck him in the back of the head and lower back. I collapsed on the ground， clutching my stomach in a fit of16） laughter.

After I recovered， I let my head fall back onto the grass. I stretched my arms and legs to their full length so my whole body faced the sky. As the raindrops danced across my arms and legs， I knew the heat wave had passed and I was relieved. I lay there， taking it all in： the cool breeze， the indescribable smell of rain， the soft grass beneath me.

"Nice day，" I said out loud.

After a while， I stood， wiping the mud from my hands. I suddenly remembered Christian. Where was he？ How long had I been lying there？

"Christian？" I called. I waited but heard no reply.

"Christian！" I yelled again， louder.

The next thing I knew， I was covered in mud. It hit me in the head from behind， dripping down into my eyes， oozing17） over my nose and working its way into my mouth. Wiping it from my lips， I turned to find my grinning brother， hands covered in mud.

Fleeing in mock terror， I ran around our house to the backyard， where I stopped in my tracks. I looked across the river at the fog curling from the dissipating storm. The opaque18） sky was making way for sunlight to peer through. The ripples lessened， the rain ebbing19） to a drizzle， but dew drops still dangled from leaves and clung to blades of grass. I watched as the whole world took a deep breath and gently let it out.

I know that what we did will probably seem senseless to anyone but us. But it was fun. It was real fun—the kind that our grandparents had as kids in much simpler times when people weren't so distracted.

Christian walked up beside me， and I tousled20） his hair playfully. We stared toward the river as the storm cloudsgalloped21） off into the distance.

乌云快速聚拢起来，从一望无边的茫茫天际滚滚涌来。它们灰暗阴沉，像从烟囱里飘出的烟雾一样在空中打转，饱含晶莹剔透的水滴，随时准备落到那些没带雨伞的行人头上。清新雨水散发出的寂寞味道从敞开的窗户涌入房中，袭向了我和弟弟，就像一记耳光打在脸上。我觉得难以置信，闻了好几次空气，想确定自己没有弄错。我瞧了瞧克里斯蒂安，说：“闻到了吗？”他点点头。我们冲到一扇窗户前，脸紧紧贴在玻璃上。当我们热切地盯着那些怒气冲冲的乌云朝我们的方向滚来时，那种味道又一次袭来。我们立刻冲向各自的房间去换泳裤，因为我们都知道有一件事是确凿无疑的，而且我们等不及了：要下雨啦。

我一边穿泳裤，一边大喊：“克里斯蒂安，快！”我朝他房间走去。“快点啊！”我不耐烦地来回倒腾脚。天气闷热潮湿，踩在木地板上直黏脚。

克里斯蒂安出来了，穿了件傻傻的蜘蛛侠泳衣。他冲到一扇窗前，看雨开始下了没有。还没，但也差不多了。一来到屋外，我们就充满期待地盯着风云变幻的天空。狂风在树木间横撞直闯，将受惊的树叶驱散开来。再一次，那寂寞的味道钻进了我的鼻孔，对于即将到来的夏雨我感到愈发兴奋。过了不大一会儿，有冷冰冰的东西落在了我的肩上，留下了刺痛的感觉。我的目光在天空中四处扫视，寻找更多的迹象。

我听到在我身边的弟弟倒抽了一口气，他抬起一只手摸着脸颊，那里有一滴雨滴闪闪发光。……