Rain by Janice Seagraves

Photo of Janice Seagraves

 April’s theme is daisies, diamonds, and storms. 

Thought I'd stay with storms since I do write about them, even though

my home state of California is in a sever drought and we don't get enough in the way of rain.

Every drop of water is precious. Lucky for us we just had rain pass through here two days ago.

Photo by Janice Seagraves

In my SF book Matrix Crystal Hunters I have a rain storm.

Excerpt:

“I smell rain and my wrist hurts.” She showed him the arm that had gotten bitten by the sherakey. Her wrist was swollen. “It’s a weather gauge now.” She pulled a flat, round package out of her backpack. Walking around, she spent some time studying the ground.

“Now what are you looking for?”

“A smooth, level place to set my tent up.” She showed him the pouch in her hand.

He chuckled. “That’s not a tent.”

“Yes it is. Just watch.” She took something out of the pouch, then flung it out. From her hand, sprang a tent, which landed perfectly set up. Taking out some spikes, she hammered them into the ground, securing it. She tucked a few things from the bags under her arm and went inside.

Vach saw the lantern go on and heard her air pump humming inside the tent, as she inflated her mattress. He found her backpack and popped his head through the entrance of the tent. “I have your things.”

“Thanks.” She took it from him.

He looked around the inside of the tent. It looked like the same one she’d used in the ancient building, where she had nailed him with a frying pan. She’d taken down the tent while he had loaded up her jeep. “There’s a lot of room in here.”

“Yes. Sometimes I keep my instruments in here with me, so they’ll be safe.”

“There’s room in here for my bed roll.” He pointed at a spot on the floor.

“Nope.” She shook her head. “You’re not staying in here.”

“I’m your servant. I stay where you stay.”

“Not this time.”

“Oh?” He raised his eyebrows.

“You’re sleeping by the fire so you can gaze up at the night sky.” Maya grabbed something and shoved it against his chest. “Just to show what a great mistress I am, I got you a sleeping bag.” She turned him around and propelled him out the door.

Stumbling out, he turned to frown back at her. “Some gratitude.”

“Gratitude for what?” She stuck her head out of the tent flap to stare at him.

“For getting you off Brawley’s back.” He grinned. “I could have just left you up there.”

“But you didn’t.”

“No, but I might next time.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Would you really be that petty?”

“I might be.” He smirked, waiting her out.

She shrugged. “Then you wouldn’t be my servant, now, would you?”

Vach watched the zipper as it sealed the tent closed. She got me.

He dropped the sleeping bag on his blanket, by the fire, and went to organize the packs he’d taken off the animals. A water drop hit him on the back of his hand. Glancing up, more drops hit his face.

Goddess, she has better weather sense than I do. He moved the packs to higher ground and then covered them with a waterproof tarp.

Shaking out his blanket, he tucked it, together with his new sleeping bag, under his arm and hurried to the tent as the rain began to pour down.

He unzipped the tent flap and stepped inside.

Maya gasped. She jerked her pajama top closed. Turning her back to him, she quickly buttoned it up. “Vach! What are you doing in here?”

“It’s raining.” He swept a hand over his head, getting off some of the water. “You don’t want your servant sleeping out in the wet, do you?”

“You should have knocked first.” She grabbed her pajama bottoms.

“On a tent?” Vach briefly managed to get a look at her bottom, covered in the silky material of her panties, before she to pull her PJs up.

“Well, scratch on the material, or say knock-knock or something. Don’t just barge in on me while I’m changing clothes.”

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Matrix Crystal Hunters is available:

US Kindle

UK Kindle

Nook

Smashwords