A Night of Startling Rain

I was patching up a broken bed, but the noise outside was so loud that it frayed my nerves.

What could be making that racket? I put down my tools and stepped into the courtyard.

A dozen piglets were running around, squealing and rooting everywhere.

Ah?

Two days ago Mom told me to feed the pigs twice a day.

I had forgotten.

They had gone without food for two days.

The pigs were frantic with hunger.

I woke up while anxiously mixing their feed.

Outside, the wind and rain were howling.

Typhoon Lekima had arrived.

Sheets of rain pounded the plastic awning outside my window—sometimes sparse, sometimes dense.

There was no way I would sleep through this night.

Tomorrow I need to figure out how to dampen the noise of rain hitting the awning.

Why not do it now? It’s not like I could fall asleep anyway.

So I got up, wearing only shorts, grabbed a few old shirts, and climbed onto the windowsill bare-chested.

Bracing against the slanting wind and rain, I flung each ragged shirt onto the awning.

It grew much quieter.

I accidentally scratched my arm and blood welled up,

but the job was done.

Now I could finally rest.

Published at: Aug 10, 2019 · Modified at: Nov 20, 2025