The sky was a dark grey, the color of freshly poured cement. The aroma of the static permeated the air, as if signaling that the super charged sky could split open at any time. The wind had died down about thirty minutes ago. A storm was definitely on its way. All around him leaves rained down, crimson as the sky on a summer night. Winter would be here soon. The chill in the air was proof enough of that.

     A drop of water fell from the sky, landing on his cheek. Looking up at the sky, he surveyed the clouds. They were racing by, as if trying to escape the imminent storm. Why was he even out there? He couldn’t, for the life of him, remember. In fact, the more he thought about it, the less he remembered, even about himself. Who was he? Sure he knew his name. He knew what he ate for breakfast that day, and remembered the faces of his friends, but how did any of that define who he was? As far as the universe was concerned, all he was was a bunch of cells:  one organism who wasn’t even worth a fleck of dust in the grand scheme of things.

    Maybe that was why he had made his way up to this hill. Maybe he had come out here to be washed away by the rain: to wipe his slate clean. Drops began to hit him more frequently. Yeah that sounded pretty feasible. The rain could wash away his doubts: wash away his insignificance. And when it stopped, perhaps he could start fresh: make a name for himself and prove to the universe that he was here for a reason. He would show everyone, himself included, that he was worthy of receiving the gift of life.

    The wind had picked up considerably since his inner tirade had begun. Leaves now danced around him in the heavy gusts. A loud crack reverberated through the sky, tearing open the clouds and unleashing a torrent of rain down upon the earth. He stood up, opening his arms wide, letting the ice-cold water engulf him. This was it! He could feel the rain, washing all of his doubts and insecurities away. After today, he would be a new man. The man he always wanted to be. He smiled for the first time in days, weeks, hell, probably for the first REAL time in months. With every drop of rain came a new surge of happiness and hope. Anticipation for the future literally made him shudder.

    A flash of lightning cut through the air, illuminating the onyx clouds. The man could feel the happiness burning through his body. In fact, he really felt warm, which was strange since the rain was so cold. He looked to the sky one more time. When had he gotten onto his back? He took one more breath, letting the refreshing air completely fill his lungs, before everything went black.