Spreading Sunshine

Prologue

It was a dark and gloomy night. The rain pelted down from the heavens with a ferocious viciousness that rattled the few sheets of galvanize serving as our only source of shelter from the downpour. In the distance, bolts of electricity flashed through the sky, illuminating it, frightening the young children to death. Our ears rang with the clap of thunder that never ceased to send tremors of fear down the spine of everyone who was squished like sardines in a tin under the leaking roof of their home. Mud and dirt caked our feet as the floods surged past, rippling over rocks with the strength to tear down trees.

Even though we were used to this kind of weather conditions, with every breath we took, we hoped fervently that it was not our last. We were unwilling to depart from this world without fully experiencing all the wonderful opportunities it had to offer.

We all had dreams. Dreams of possessing clothes without holes or stains or mud. Dreams of earning enough money so that the kids can obtain an education and better their lives. Dreams of getting food on the table without parents starving just so the children can eat. Dreams of being able to stroll down the streets of the big city, with towering skyscrapers all around and the sunlight glinting off the glass. And we were determined as ever to ensure these dreams became a reality, regardless of the obstacles cluttering our path, because God never gives you more than you can bear.

Everything was soaked and sticky and the sun was glowing brightly as usual, as if there was not a storm the night before. Petrichor exuded from the grasslands, filling the air with the fragrant post-rain scent. The majority of the clan was still asleep, huddled together for warmth and to protect the little ones. I stretched my arms outwards, releasing my younger sister from the protective hold I had on her, and glanced around at the destruction. Most of our crops and vegetables were uprooted and dragged away with the rains, and the ones remaining were so waterlogged that any chances of survival were very slim. It wasn't the first time we experienced this and it certainly would not be the last. Yet our spirit never dimmed.

Getting up from the bed, which was actually just a piece of sponge placed on the floor, I cracked my bones awake and tried to salvage what I could from the remains. Using a homemade cocoyea broom, I swept away all the silt and dirt from around our home, so that Mama and Papa would have less to do when they woke up.

"Pen-Pen, where are you going?" Lilly asked with a pout, already advancing towards where I was standing and not even waiting for a response. Lilly, despite being only twelve, was just as protective of me as I was of her, always making sure I was close-by and not straying too far out of her sight. It was like I had a second mother looking after me.

"Wanna come help me, Lil?" She nodded excitedly. "Grab those bags over there and let's go." Even though she just woke up, Lilly was already full of energy and darting ahead of me towards the vegetation patch.

Our main source of income originated from selling whatever fruits and vegetables we harvested and animals that we reared, after keeping some for ourselves, of course. Some of the women, including me, chose to weave hats and baskets and then walk to the market where hopefully, someone would purchase them. Sometimes, we even sold the little trinkets we found buried in the mud that were washed away by the floods. Majority of the items on sale are what we make by hand. Be it clothes, mats, curtains, or even wedding cakes, we did it all.

Trudging through the dirt and clearing the path as we wandered through the nearby bushes, Lilly and I collected and stuffed the leaves that were broad and sturdy enough for weaving into the bag. "What will we do about the food that we lost 'cuz of the rain, Pen-Pen?" Lilly asked as I helped her jump down from a massive log blocking our way.

I sighed, not really enthusiastic about thinking of how much profits we could have gained from those crops. "What else can we do but count our losses and start all over. But you just wait and see, all the hard work and troubles we face will be totally worth it when we see those skyscrapers."