Storm City

Grasmere Road

    Finnigan Wood was a man who loved to bike. He would often take long rides through the countryside to clear his mind and feel the wind rushing past him. He especially loved biking on Grasmere Road, with its winding paths and beautiful scenery. It was a peaceful escape for him, a chance to leave behind the stresses of his daily life.

One day, as he was biking down Grasmere Road, he noticed the sky starting to darken. The unmistakable sound of deafening thunder rumbled through the overhanging trees, and he knew that he needed to pick up the pace if he wanted to make it home before the rain came.

As he biked faster, he felt a few drops of rain hit his face. He looked up and saw that the clouds had opened up, and it was starting to pour. Within seconds, he was soaked to the bone, and he began to regret not bringing a rain jacket.

As he rode past all of the cottages in the rain, he couldn't help but think how nice it would be to be inside at this moment, away from the rain and not wet. As he passed by one of the houses, he noticed an old man with an umbrella trying to pick up a big package from a puddle. Finnigan stopped in front of the old man and offered to help.

"Hello sir, could I help you? That package looks a bit heavy," Finnigan said.

"Oh no, I've got it all handled, but thank you, young man," the old man replied promptly, cautiously trying to hold onto the package and umbrella at the same time but failing and dropping the umbrella resulting in the old man getting drenched in rain.

"Here, I insist," Finnigan said, picking up the umbrella and holding it over the old man. "I will walk you to your front door."

The old man nodded his head, and they began to walk together through the pouring rain. As they walked, Finnigan learned that the old man's name was Henry, and he had lived in the cottage with his wife Darla for over fifty years. They had raised their children there, and it was their little piece of paradise.

After a good walk down the gravel driveway, they finally made it to the front door of the old man's house. He gently opened the door and graciously invited Finnigan inside. As he took one step in, the overpowering smell of pumpkin pie filled the air, and he was greeted by a fluffy gray cat in the arms of an old lady who he assumed was Henry's wife, Darla.

"Honey, you're all wet. Oh, and who is this?" Darla asked.

"This young man helped me. The package was so big I dropped the umbrella and got all wet," Henry told his wife.

"How nice of you! Why don't you come in? I just baked a fresh pumpkin pie. You should have a slice," Darla said, while walking him to the kitchen.

"Well, I really should be getting home, but I guess one slice wouldn't hurt," he said, taking a slice.

"So, what is your name, young man?" Darla asked.

"I'm Finnigan Wood," he replied politely.

"Oh, very nice to meet you. My name is Darla, and this is my husband, Henry," she said, gesturing towards Henry.

"It's very nice to meet you as well, but I really must be going now. I'm all wet and cold. Thanks a lot for the pie," he said while walking out of the kitchen.

"Oh, gee, I'm sorry for keeping you too long, Finnigan. I'm glad you enjoyed my pie. We hope to see you soon," Darla said, waving goodbye to Finnigan. "See you later," Finnigan says gratefully stepping back out into the pouring rain.

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I won't try to do author notes a lot but I just wanted to say that this is my very first actual fantasy book. I will be updating whenever I can because my life is very busy but I hope you enjoyed it any feedback is very appreciated.