Barometric Drop
It didn’t rain much here, and David liked it that way. It’s why he moved all the way out. But this November was a wet one, and this evening relentless.
Since it didn’t rain much, the nearly 120 year-old house, and David, weren’t prepared. The gutters were clogged, rain sheeted the sides of the home. Water crept up from the stopped drains, coming nearer the sliding glass door. Some people find peace and calm in the rain - a comfort and safety of being inside - but David did not feel peace, did not feel calm, and did not feel safe.
The great rain picked up, carried by even greater winds.
Branches that normally cast long, peaceful shadows at sunset whipped into the windows. Single pane - was that going to be a problem? The sound of flooding came nearer. A metallic groan from some vestigial structure on the roof. The umbrella being blown over. He rapped his book against the table just to hear his own actions, some sound under his control. It felt futile amidst the storm.
A scraping noise in the distance.
He heard the deck chairs sliding, worried they would get knocked over. He wished they would already. The old dog whined. The winds changed and he could hear a dripping at the rear window. He stoked his pitiful fire, but the chill was already in his bones.
He heard a scraping noise, closer this time.
One of the branches cracked and fell. Wet leaves blew against the window. The house groaned. The dog was silent, huddled in the corner, eyes wide open. David thought he heard thunder, but it may have just been wind. He looked at the phone, a landline. He wanted to call someone, to hear the outside world, but he knew no one would answer. There wouldn’t even be a dial tone.
There was a scraping noise somewhere near the shed, like something being dragged.
The sounds of the weather and the house were a dark, chaotic symphony. A cacophony to be sure, but all part of the same orchestra, building to a crescendo of dread. Everything was one.
Everything except the scraping noise, and the sound of rain blowing through an open door.
David closed his eyes.