A fictional piece – by Elusogbon Aishat

The Rain

It was horrible! We were all running about, trying to get away from the acid rain that was pouring on us from above. It had just started a few minutes ago, while I was having my meal under one of the several huge canopies with four pillars. Then, suddenly, I noticed my people running helter-skelter around the whole place. All my attempts to get answers from under the canopy proved abortive, but I didn’t stop asking. Not until the acid rain fell right on top of one of my people right in front of me. Then I watched in horror as his running speed slowed gradually until he stopped running.

Then, the smell got to me. Initially, it was only terribly offensive. But then, slowly, it began to choke me. I had no idea what it was but I knew from the signs that my body was giving me that if I wanted to die, then, I should wait to find out.

To dustbin with curiosity. I turned and ran! Everyone was running. No one was stopping. Mothers forgot sons. Fathers forgot daughters. Everyone was for himself as we all tried to get away from the danger above.

After several minutes of running, I hid under a canopy, similar to the one I’d been eating under and watched the massacre from the refuge. It was like the acid rain was a living creature. Wherever one of them ran to, the rain poured directly on the place and on them. Those that rushed to join us under the canopy and weren’t fast enough, got beaten by the acid rain and, consequently, choked and burned to death. Those that tried to go airborne didn’t last long either. The smell soon caught up with them and soon, they were back in the ground. Dead.

It soon became obvious that where we were hiding wasn’t safe. Not just because the smell was now reaching us, but also because, like a living creature, the acid rain found its way into where we hid and landed directly on our ground. All of us ran for dear life, but not all of us made it out.

Suddenly, I found myself running alone. And it was better that way. Everywhere I passed, I saw several corpses of my people, most lying upward, all with no life in them. I continued to run. I soon found another shelter. There were few of them in our environment, but they were extremely large and had very small pillars, compared to the previous ones. We had no idea what they were, but several times, we usually take cover under them when we were usually being pursued by the taller dangerous creatures. And thanks to the small pillars, the creatures rarely caught us.

It was under this canopy I hid as I watched more rain pour and more of my people die. The incident was shocking! It was strange! It was shockingly strange! I’ve been living here for a long time, and the only threat we’ve ever had was from the huge predators also residing in our environment. This had never happened before. So why now?

What was going on? Was this the end? Is there no way out? I waited patiently at the furthest part of the canopy so that the smell wouldn’t get to me. The effects of the little I’d inhaled were beginning to manifest, but I was sure that by the time I got some fresh oxygen, I will be fine.

I decided it was best not to go airborne considering what I saw was the fate of those who had tried it. Some others tried to use other means to escape, but most were futile. Those who climbed the straight mountains were the ones who suffered the most, as the rain poured directly on them, killing them instantly. Many even hid in dark corners and other usual hideouts of ours, including the small canopies. But they didn’t help either, because the roofs of the canopies were forcefully removed and the escapees were instantly drenched in acid. I did not dare look up to see the source of the rain, but with my limited view under the short pillared canopy, I could still make out those human giants moving about.

Soon, I watched them gradually leave and lock up. And as I stood alone under the canopy in the dark, I began to wonder why human beings hate cockroaches so much. I mean; the only thing we want from them is their food. Is that so hard for them to share?

About the Writer

Elusogbon Aishat is a student of English Language at Obafemi Awolowo University She majors in prose writing, but she dips her feather into the ink of poetry more often than a few times. She reads as often as she writes, and she’s passionate about issues relating to her religion, race, gender, and about love.