Xylophones

Rain clouds gathering over apartments, as seen from my terrace

Rain was like a musician-out-of-practice today.


For the last couple of weeks, summer was bearing down very hard on Calcuttans indeed: the heat, the humidity and the headaches. However, the weatherman seems to have found a magic talisman that shows him the weather forecast these days and the clouds came, as a relieving fulfilling of his prophecies.


To me, though, Rain seemed to have lost the habit of coming down in great abounding leaps. It was behaving queerly, like a someone who's forgotten how to play her favorite piece on a Xylophone.


The first drops came like hesitantly, like Rain was testing the notes. Tip. Tap. Splatter.


It was just experimenting, doubting if a duet with the Wind was possible. Thrash. Tap. Splash.


And suddenly, Rain found its rhythm. One quick bass of thunder to open the piece and off went rain, drenching the parched city in its moist melodies, mixing the basic tunes into a well orchestrated xylo-piece.


Impromptu performances are the best.