//------------------------------// // Waiting // Story: Collab Cage Mini-Monthly April -- Pitter Patter, Splatter Splash // by The Collab Cage //------------------------------// Written by: KartalTheWriter “Don’t worry about it, Rose! We’ll be there at two o'clock, sharp! We promise!” That had been Lily speaking. Lily always kept her word. Daisy, on the other hoof...well...she had the tendency to get distracted and not be completely on time, especially when it involved others and their plans. So here I was, wearing my best hair accessory and waiting under the awning at our favorite café. We had all planned to have tea together, since that’s something my friends liked. I had agreed, because it’d give me a chance to wear my new sparkly bow. Normally, I wouldn’t care for things like that, but I’d recently developed a hint of vanity after becoming a minor celebrity vocalist in Vinyl’s club. But that’s another story. Out of boredom I began scanning the menu posted on the outside of the café. Having woken up so late that breakfast became lunch, I was now beginning to feel hungry. The images next to the menu items were torture, each one more amazing-looking than the next. Even the sandwiches I’d normally never touch--potato salad--started sounding intensely appetizing. In fact, even that experimental tuna sandwich was delicious in my mind. I had no idea what tuna was but at that point its very name made my stomach growl. And with every growl, I grew even more impatient. Unconsciously I began running a hoof through my mane and fidgeting with my bow. That’s when it started raining. It wasn’t a gradual thing, either. It just came down, like somepony had suddenly turned on the shower. I looked up to the sky and saw Lightning Bolt and Sassaflash bucking some clouds violently. Those two were always so serious about their jobs it was almost comical. While I giggled endearingly at Lightning, I couldn’t help but feel sympathetic for Sassy. She had a wing condition she didn’t like to talk about that caused her to make a slight whistling noise when she flew, causing some ponies to call her “Wind Whistler” behind her back. Because of that she was always the most enthusiastic worker so nopony could ever suspect her condition held her back in any way. I knew this story because Sassy and I became friends over a sad song over in Vinyl’s club, and it turns out I’m not only a “great listener”, but also a “very understanding pony”. It only makes sense for the quiet ones to be the best at paying attention, right? Again, that’s a story for later. So anyways, I was standing under that awning, staring at this sundial and wondering why I couldn’t tell what time it was. I was doing this for a good long while too, which just shows how bored I got. So finally when I figured out you need the sun’s rays to cast an angled shadow to calculate the time on a sundial, I gave the sky another good hard look. Then I shook my hoof at it and muttered under my breath for a few moments. Despite not knowing the real time--due to the unhelpful darkness of the sobbing sky--I could feel the lateness of the hour creeping up. Being my usual punctual self, I had arrived at the scene exactly ten minutes early. Okay, so maybe it was only four minutes...late. Okay okay, so I was late to the meeting too, but it still didn’t excuse my friends taking so long as well! So in the end it was probably my own fault for being a few minutes late regularly, giving them permission to never show up on time. With a great heavy sigh, I sank down next to the wall. My sigh bounced off the walls melodically. For the first time, I felt the entirety of the space with my whole body. I sighed again, this time to hear the sound caress the walls gently. That was when I realized that this was truly a place to unleash the music of my frustrations. I sighed once more, this time more melodically, just one note to see what would happen. Then another, this one louder. Relief, intense emotional relief. Focusing my eyes on the falling rain, I inhaled a double dose of irritation. Exhaling beauty, I felt the new notes vibrate off my lips and into the walls framing the awning. With a lighter intake of breath, I acknowledged how very akin to singing in the shower this was. You couldn’t get perfect conditions like this just anywhere. Daisy laughed her shrill little laugh in my mind. It was that certain type of laugh that wasn’t so much loud, but piercing. I countered the sound with a lilting melody, mimicking that voice. Adding a couple of dissonant notes, I reflected on how annoying Daisy could be when she left me waiting. “I’m just going to go by one store and then I’ll meet you, okay Rose?” “Daisy, I’ve got a lot of work to do, today. Lily’s been waiting nearly fifteen minutes already. “This won’t take long, I promise!” “Daisy...” Subito forte, as the rain seemed to pound harder against the awning. My voice wailed with the thunder, pleasure at releasing so much emotion increasing its intensity. Perhaps it was a little dramatic. Decrescendo, and andante. “On the contrary, your voice is beautiful.” The dissonance resolved peacefully. “You’re looking very pretty today, Rose. Any special reason?” Lightning flashed, but the thunder was more gentle this time. I flinched all the same while my voice wavered slightly. “Well of course I want you to come! Why wouldn’t I?” Poco a poco rallentando. I allowed the last note to end briefly, as opposed to drawing it out needlessly. After the sound stopped, my heart was racing and my breath was coming fast. I hadn’t realized I was using so much staccato until it was over. As I caught my breath, I gazed out at the rain again. The thunder had all but faded out and I saw no lightning. Once again, I heard a voice in my head, this time Lily’s. “You know what my favorite thing about rain is?” And suddenly, I found myself leaping out from under the awning and into the downpour, eyes wide open.