Work Text:
The girl in the blue raincoat skips through the rain, cheery as a bird. She leaps from puddle to puddle, her brown hair swaying at her back. A small fluffy dog barks playfully at her heels. His once white and fluffy coat is now grey, like the clouds above, covering the sky. Humming an unknown tune, she twirls, her skirt swirling with her. Her brown boots are splattered with mud. Laughing, she seats herself on an abandoned park bench. The dog jumps up to join her and together they watch the world go by.
Workers, with their heads down, shrouded by their umbrellas, people in the coffee shop, sipping their drinks, and a young boy, crouched in the shrubbery by the edge of the sidewalk. He has picked something up and is sheltering it from the rain. He wears a plain white T-shirt and a red baseball cap covering his light brown hair. His clothing is now drenched by the rain. The girl stands up from the bench and makes her way over. The dog follows, curious. Looking up, the boy glances at her with a guarded expression. Opening his cupped hands cautiously, he reveals a praying mantis. Defensively, he explains how he was rescuing the bug from being stepped on. When she says she’ll help, he looks at her in shock, then acceptance. All the while, the rain pours down steadily, showing no signs of stopping.
The children begin to scout the park for a suitable place to leave the bug. The boy with the red baseball cap has proudly dubbed the bug ‘Titano’. The girl in the blue raincoat wrinkles her nose in response but nods anyway. It is slow going, the rain making it difficult to see. When the two eventually agree on a spot, even the small dog is tired. It is a bush, sheltered by the overhanging branches of a tree. Releasing the bug, the two turn to leave, the boy with the red baseball cap carrying the small dog. Walking along the pavement, the two turn to head off their separate ways. The boy hands back the dog. They both hesitate for a second, before the girl in the blue raincoat asks if he will be at the park again tomorrow. He grins and replies with a yes. The girl meets his grin with an identical smile. The two turn and leave their separate ways, already planning for tomorrow.