Clouds

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The clouds had moved across the sky, from the horizon, to hover right over our heads, among the tree tops, heavy and dark with rain, but Ashley and I stayed outside, savouring the thick air, the smell of rain filling the atmosphere with the promise of a cool change and a chance to settle the dust and wash it from our skin.

We were both chilling out in the tree stump chairs, talking shit and listening to the ambience surrounding us, when Ashley glanced up, her dark eyes widening in surprise.

"I think you might be right about the rain," she observed, and I glanced up at the purple clouds where they blocked out the sun.

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen a grey cloud before," I told her, searching the sky.

She shot me a skeptical look, and I laughed at the doubt on her face.

"It's like how we're taught that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west," I explained, "when really, it's the earth that's moving, not the sun."

She nodded, her attention fixed on me, waiting for me to go on.

"We're taught that clouds are grey," I continued, "but when you really look, they can be purple or blue, or even pink or red or orange, at sunset.  Just because it's a cloud, doesn't mean it's grey."

She gazed up into the sky as I pointed.

"That ones violet, that ones kind of blue, that ones almost yellow."

She grinned, then glanced back at me.

"I'd never though of it like that," she admitted, "but you're actually right."

She looked back up and twisted her mouth, then pointed out a cluster of lighter clouds streaking past the darker ones behind them.

"What about those guys?"

"I guess they're arguably grey," I admitted.  "Let's go with that."

"Holy shit," she laughed, "a rare grey cloud!"

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