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Soothing Rain, Loud Storm

Sunny sat there silently as rain fell around him. There was little on his mind, just sounds of the rain and-"If I fell off the treehouse...how much would it hurt?" He looked down. The treehouse was decently high up so he knew falling or jumping, from it would leave him in pain for a while.

He stopped kicking his legs, which dangled over the edge near the latter.

The treehouse had always felt tall to him as a short 12-year-old, but right now it felt like the ground was shrinking away as the tree grew into the sky.

Sunny blinked the feeling away and his surroundings returned to normal.

He felt dizzy as he looked around the wet yard, trees rustling in the wind as the rain continued to trickle down.

A few raindrops hit his knees. His socks had been soaked for however long he'd been out here. Cold slithered through him as he looked down at the ground. It felt so far away..."If I lean too far I'll fall on my face." He leaned forward slightly.

The rain made it harder to stay still. Sunny's hand slipped, causing adrenaline to course through him.

His grip tightened.

The wind blew, and Sunny heard a quiet voice whisper behind him.

"Sunny..."

A chill ran down his spine as he turned his head around to look. A misty shadow loomed over him, long "hair" obscuring its face. It stretched out a thin hand and grabbed Sunny's shoulder, it was cold to the touch.

"Sunny, you're hogging the latter." The voice was almost a whine.

He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in confusion. He turned to face it better, but his hand slipped again. The shadow pushed his shoulder, and he fell.

Rain continued to fall around him as Sunny lay on the hard, cold grass. He stared up at the ledge of the treehouse he had fallen from. It looked so high from down here...

With ragged breath he got to his feet, heavily breathing through his mouth.

"Suunnyyyy~"

The voice came from behind him again. He turned to see a humanoid figure behind him.

"I'm gonna get YOØÜUUU." Its voice became a shrill laugh, the shape starting to unravel into something inhuman.

Sunny's eyes widened. Forgetting the pain in his sides from the fall, he began sprinting to the house. He could hear the thing chasing him. He didn't dare look back as he raced through the yard, mud splashing under his feet and rain pelting him in the face.

The backdoor was in sight and hope fluttered in Sunny. He picked up his pace, heart pounding in his ears.

And then, he slipped.

A loud splash echoed through the yard as Sunny landed hard on the muddy ground. Over the sounds of his ragged breath and beating heart, Sunny didn't realize he couldn't hear the Thing chasing him anymore as he scrambled to his feet and sprinted the last stretch of the yard to the backdoor.

He finally turned around to see how far the Thing was from him, but he was met with a quiet, empty yard. He stood silently, the back of his throat stung from the sharp cold air.

The glass door slid open behind him, and Sunny felt himself wrapped in a towel. Before he could react, he heard his mother's panicked voice.

"Sunny! What are you doing out here, it's pouring!" She turned him around to face her, a worried expression on her face as she spoke. "Oh no, you're covered in mud...Come on, let's get you inside and cleaned up," she led Sunny inside and slid the backdoor shut.

As he walked through the living room in his mud-covered socks, he noticed his mom casting an annoyed glance at the trail of mud and couldn't help feeling embarrassed.

"She probably hates that I'm making a mess," he thought to himself with irritation.

As they reached the top of the stairs, Mrs. Suzuki paused at the bathroom door. "I'll set out some clothes for you on your bed, go ahead and take a bath." Sunny nodded lightly and watched his mom walk over to his room.

With a quiet sigh, he went into the bathroom and turned on the water for a bath. He shivered in the cold room as he set the muddy towel to the side. There was still a relative amount of mud caked onto his legs.

A knock sounded from the door, "Sunny, I left your clothes on your bed. I need to go to the store but I won't be long. Make sure you clean yourself up! Love you!" He heard her footsteps depart, leaving him alone once more.

He peeled off his muddy clothes and got into the warm bath, the water enveloping him gently.

He could hear a faint rumbling of thunder outside, the sounds of water washing away his thoughts. He took a breath and dipped his head under the water. Sunny could feel the gross mud melting away, and for a moment, he relaxed.

After a while the mud was gone and Sunny begrudgingly got out of the tub, making sure to drain the water. A towel sat on the counter and he used it to dry off, heading into his room to get dressed.

The clothes his mom had set aside were warm. After he dressed he plopped onto his bed, ready to sleep. However, the sound of the front door downstairs told him his mom had returned with groceries.

As much as he wanted to go down and help, his limbs felt like stone, and he couldn't bring himself to move.

With exhaustion he fell asleep easily, sinking into his warm bed.

Hours passed as he slept. By the time Sunny woke up the sun had gone down and his room was coated in darkness. He stretched half-heartedly, forcing himself to sit up.

A faint scent drifted into his room, pulling Sunny from his fatigue. It was warm and savory, a stark contrast to his room which felt cold and bitter. A yawn escaped him as he stood from his bed.

There was a small beam of light peeking through the bottom of Sunny's bedroom door. It dimly lit the floor and doorway, helping Sunny to find his way through the room.

His door creaked open and Sunny stepped out of his room. His gaze drifted to the stairs, and he realized the mud trail he left was gone. He cringed at himself.

"I should've cleaned that...I guess mom did."

The delicious smell wafted to him once more, and suddenly Sunny was reminded of his goal; head downstairs, find the food.

Sunny made his way down the tall staircase, blinking to get used to the light as he stepped into the bright living room. He could hear his mom humming in the kitchen as she cooked. He wasn't sure what she was making, but it smelled great.

And then, he looked at the couch.