My feet skim the cold damp sand
as I jog along the shore of the beach.
The rain from earlier has cooled the hot, midday summer air,
and now the sun is hidden behind a thick layer of ominous clouds
that are threatening to spill more rain.
A layer of murky mist hangs over the lake.

My cousins and I laugh and shout
as we run around the lake, splashing in the icy water
and trying to keep our feet from being swallowed by patches of mud.
Fallen trees are strewn around the lake in various locations
and we try to climb over them without slipping on the wet bark.

Then tiny droplets of water come

    F
       a
           l
              l
                 i
                     n
                         g

From the sky.

They are small at first; tiny needles pricking our skin.
As they continue to plummet from the sky
the size of them grows and grows until we are drenched from head to toe,
my long hair plastered to the sides of my face.
The rain makes pattering sounds against the metal slide,
it sinks into the sand, and disrupts the still lake water.

One of my cousins,  decides that he apparently isn’t wet enough
and plunges into the lake with a huge splash,
waves erupting around him.

My uncle, watching from afar in his raincoat, waves to us.
It’s time to go.
I’m shivering, but smiling all the same
as we grab our soggy coats and shoes to go back to camp.