Fear of Rain

But the truth was that Nadine didn't like rainy days in Neopia, not only because she loved sunny days - sunny days were much better - but mainly because she was very, very afraid of the rain.

There wasn't a day in Nadine's life when she didn't check the weather forecast before leaving her Neohome. And, of course, she never went outside without carrying at least one umbrella. At the slightest sign that a drop of water was about to fall from the clouds, Nadine would run to the nearest shelter, be it a store, another Neofriend's house, or a safe, covered place in Neopia that could protect her from the terrible drops of water falling from the sky. Once, she even hid inside Snowager's cave just to escape the rain that started falling on Terror Mountain. And, what's more, Snowager was awake. Well, Nadine's fear of the rain was so much greater than her fear of that giant icy worm that she risked staying inside the cave until it stopped raining. As she didn't go near the monster's treasure pile, it didn't seem to mind that she was seeking shelter in its home.

In any case, Nadine hoped she wouldn't have to go through a situation like this again. It was much better to be on the safe side, and that's why Grey Day was a day that she definitely didn't leave the house. Never. Ever. There was nothing in Neopia that would make Nadine set foot outside her NeoHome that day. After all, it was the one day she was absolutely certain it would rain non-stop. So why would she go out?

Grey Day was a forbidden day for Nadine and all her friends knew it. Not even the possibility that she could win a million Neopoints if she went to visit the Fountain Faerie, or that she would win a Candy Paint Brush if she went to the Money Tree. Nadine would rather be left with nothing than go out in the middle of a downpour (or at risk of rain).

That week Nadine was already prepared for Grey Day. She knew that this rainy day happened every year in Neopia, and every year she prepared for it, and this year would be no different. She had already stocked up on lots of sweets and other delicious foods to spend the whole day in her Neohome. She had bought several new books that had been released over the last year. She had sorted out some games and toys so that she could spend the whole afternoon doing leisure activities without having to worry about leaving the house.

When the day finally arrived, Nadine was relaxing in her Neohome, eating a Cheesy Popcorn while reading the new issue of Neopian Times Issue 1000, laughing and enjoying the various comics published. She couldn't imagine where the authors got the imagination to create such funny comics. That was good, because it distracted her from the incessant rain outside her Neohome. Sometimes she even forgot that it was Grey Day. Maybe, deep down, Grey Day had its advantage, after all, because she was having fun in her Neohome, doing her favorite activities.

However, in the middle of reading the next comic, a notification arrived in her inbox. Nadine glanced nonchalantly at the notification, imagining that it might be some Neomail from TNT notifying her of her premium subscription or something, but the Disco Tonu's eyes widened in clear surprise when she noticed that the notification was from her grandmother: Bertha.

Curious as to why her grandma had sent her a Neomail, Nadine interrupted her reading and, while chewing her cheesy popcorn, went to check what it was about, when she finally read the Neomail, her heart raced.

"Oh, no, Grandma Bertha!" Nadine clamped her paw over her mouth, terrified by the information she had received. Her beloved grandmother was ill and asked for Nadine to be present that day.

There was just one problem.

Grandma Bertha lived in Moltara, and Nadine, in Altador.

The Tonu looked at the window, the curtains were closed, and sighed deeply. What would she do? She couldn't leave her grandmother unattended while she was ill, she was the only one who could keep the old Elephante company, there was no one else.

Armed with a sudden courage Nadine never imagined she had, she grabbed her yellow raincoat, and her transparent umbrella, put on her rubber boots, and went out the front door.

At the first sound of thunder, Nadine shivered and went back inside her Neohome. Her teeth were cracking.

"Come on Nadine! You can do it! Grandma Bertha needs you!" She said to herself and took a deep breath with her eyes closed, plucking up the courage to leave again. She opened the door once more and stared at the raindrops that were falling from the sky. Her heart pounded, but remembering her beloved grandmother, sad and ill, Nadine took a deep breath and opened her umbrella to start walking towards her grandma house.

Nadine couldn't even remember why she was so afraid of rain. There was no rational explanation for it. She liked the water, she liked going for walks in Maraqua, swimming with the Maraquan Pets and Petpets, she liked going to the beaches of Mystery Island or the lakes of Kiko Lake. It was only the rain that terrified her.

Even though she was shivering, not exactly from the cold but more from fear, Nadine continued walking in the rain, protected by her umbrella and raincoat, but on the way, she came across several Pets having fun in the rain.

"Crazy!" she muttered scandalized, "they're all crazy."

However, there was a twinge of envy in her when she saw a group of Acaras playing in the rain, jumping in the puddles, not afraid to get wet and not afraid to be happy, and Nadine wanted to have that same joy. When she stretched her arm forward to catch a few drops of rain, she shuddered and immediately withdrew her arm. No, she wasn't that bold.

After a few terrifying minutes, Nadine, who kept thinking of her grandmother to avoid thinking she was in the rain, soon found herself appreciating the beauty of that Grey day. It wasn't as sunny and colorful as she liked, but there was a unique and exclusive beauty that made the day truly special, even if it looked too grey to her liking. By the time she reached the door of Grandma Bertha's Neohome, Nadine was so used to the raindrops that she didn't even remember that it was actually raining.

Upon entering the small house in Moltara, Nadine went straight to the armchair where her grandmother was sitting and resting, with a glass of hot Borovan in her hands.

"Grandma!" she kissed his forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Nadine, my dear! You've come!" Bertha muttered tiredly. "In the rain!"

"Of course I came, Grandma, I would never leave you alone in a situation like this!"

"Oh, my dear, you're so lovely!" the Elephante hugged her granddaughter. "I feel better now, with your company. I was so lonely... You see, my health isn't so bad, it's just that I felt so sad spending this Grey Day alone, I really wanted your company. I know you're very scared of the rain and..."

"It's okay, Grandma," Nadine stroked her grandmother's hair, "I'm not afraid of the rain anymore!"

Grandma Bertha smiled radiantly and hugged her granddaughter once more.

So, they spent the rest of the day together eating treats while Nadine read some stories to her grandmother, enjoying that Grey and rainy day to create a unique memory of just the two of them.

From that day on, Nadine was never afraid of the rain again and they spent every Grey Day keeping each other company.

     The End.