Colors of Rain

Prologue: The girl in the rain

"They say whenever it rains while the sun is out a tikbalang, as she would call it, is being wed. And the reason behind the said phenomena is because the gods disagree with such union. Tikbalangs are known to be malevolent creatures, playing tricks on travelers, leading them astray. There is no question as to why the heavens would intervene, yet on another note, why would they go to such lengths for humans falling in love?"

"That is quite an interesting point Mrs. Crai-"

"Ms. Shardes."

"Ah yes, my apologies, Ms. Shardes. Our viewers would like to know more about the girl in the painting. The reason behind her emotions and the rain. Yes. The rain. One fan asked why does it have... colors?" The woman in a grey suit asked. She was holding a few pieces of paper that held information and questions alike.

"Well, for starters, the girl is sad, and as for the rain... I just thought it would look nice with color."

" Oh well... that's nice." The interviewer sighed.

"I'm just kidding, dear. Before I give the real answer, are you up for the story?"

"W-why yes, Mrs.- I mean Ms. Shardes. I'm sure your fans are dying to know what's behind the artwork." The woman in gray stuttered.

"Then I guess I'm not gonna tell. I'm afraid they would drop dead after I tell the tale."

"Oh Ms. Shardes, you're such a tease."

"Anyways, for those listening out there." Ms. Shardes cleared her throat. She has this elegant composure while sitting on the chair that displayed an aura of intimidation among the audience and her fans watching. She was a woman in her mid-30s. Her black turtle neck sweater highlighted her light ash blonde hair that rested gently on her shoulders, making her pale skin glow. Her gray eyes scanned the room yet did not make eye contact with anybody. 

"Do you remember about the heavens objecting unorthodox or let's say unwanted unions? Well, the girl fell in love with another person, a woman, if I must say so. She was so madly in love with the lady that she defied the words of her parents and her elders. Just like your typical romance story, their love smoothly sailed the waters of life until the heavens, just like in the legend, intervened in their union. Just like lightning splitting a ship in half, their love broke in just a flash." she sighed deeply. "On their wedding day, the woman she fell in love with never came. You can see her still in her wedding dress smiling, trying to hide the overwhelming sadness she carries in her heart. It was a beautiful day for a wedding, yet the bride was standing with a broken heart, alone at the altar, when drops of rain started to fall. She stared up the sky and smiled thinking that maybe it was best they had not been wed for now she sees that the heavens have spoken."

Silence filled the room. Not one breath escaped as if the world ran out of air.

"... W-wow. That was- that was sad." the interviewer gasped. "I'm sorry. I'm out of words. But what about the rain? Why is it so colorful if the painting depicts that much sadness?"

Ms. Shardes looked up as if she were looking at the sky. " While her eyes are fixated on the sky, she thought to herself maybe if the rain had color, this day wouldn't be so bad. And so she imagined it to have color... maybe to blind herself from the pain, letting herself be drenched in colors so that when she looks at herself in the mirror, she won't see a bride in white but simply a girl in a colorful dress."

With a sigh, the black and white image faded, 24-year old Eliza, got to her feet, showcasing her height of five foot five, and tied her raven hair. She was able to catch a glimpse of a woman's picture pasted on her wall. It was the same woman from the television.