Rebecca
by AThingofBeauty
It rained incredibly hard that wonderful spring morning.
It was a wonderful spring morning, merely because it rained!
Heaven had generously opened its floodgates to richly water the thirsty earth below. The arid land had been severely parched for three consecutive and not to mention, crucial weeks, as the blazing golden sun relentlessly cooked the vibrant life out of it.
There appeared to be no end in sight to this horrible and daunting drought which far exceeded its welcome. The only smidgeon of relief those worried land inhabitants received, was when that massive ball of fire in a bright sky had finally set.
Then remarkably, without warning, mercy came in the form of an abundant shower!
This miraculous deluge was a godsend indeed!
The church where Grandmother and Alice were parishioners, offered up prayers which never ceased so that this jubilant day of blessing would miraculously arrive.
This seemingly endless downpour, truly enhanced the celestial, yet distinctive fragrances of the pink, plump English roses, that were gloriously blooming in the garden outside of Grandmother's timbered house.
The strong, gusty winds intruding from the south, irately blew through the towering, swaying trees. The violent tempest beat unyieldingly against the little abode which had been securely and skillfully built from logs taken from the black, dense surrounding forest. Uniformed rows of lumber which made up the tiny, humble dwelling, were profusely bathed in this downpour, causing the drenched bark to briefly glisten like jewels whenever lightening flashed.
Alice was aching to take a dare during the long hours the storm was in progress. She constantly watched the storm from the safety of the little house, with its interior smelling of tea and freshly baked cinnamon rolls. The elements always beguiled her. Even as a very young child, she marveled at the powerful Creator who had the ability to control the weather at will.
All the wonderful changes in atmospheric conditions had a unique splendor of its own as far as Alice was concerned.
There were the forceful and exhilarating, winds of biting white winters. Those powerful northern gusts almost always left their mark in the form of stunning, glistening frost, which stubbornly clung to shivering bare branches.
This thick, icy substance also generously covered the bristles of evergreen trees, and left the dense forest with the look and feel of a magical winter wonderland after the frigid blasts subsided.
Afterwards, springtime showers completely washed the white, powdery residue away to reveal thick black soil. The warm, seasonal rains brought forth the fresh and distinct aroma of richly, drenched earth, from which sprang an abundant array of the most colorful blossoms anyone would have loved to lay their eyes on!
Then came the alluring blue hue of radiant sunny skies, characteristic of hot summer days.
An image of a large shiny glass pitcher, filled with lemonade, catching the vibrant rays of the sun, came to Alice's mind.
Not too far behind the brief hot weather, was prideful Autumn. This glorious season vainly showed off its crimson and golden foliage and ushered in a time for picking fragrant apples for pies and a time for helping Grandmother make sweet cider.
Just then, a sharp and sudden flash of lightening, brightly lit up the gray, foreboding skies of the southern hemisphere. This was immediately followed by the ominous rumble of crackling thunder. The loud commotion nudged the terrified girl speedily out of her wistful daydreaming and left her shaken for a few seconds. But nonetheless, fear did little to deter Alice from enjoying nature's grand show.
It was like watching a performance given specially in her honor by Mother Nature herself, and the wide-eyed child, as a prominent member of the audience, had a front row seat by her window, to wondrously witness all of the stormy drama as it quickly unfolded.
As she concentrated on the raindrops trickling down the glass of the window, making winding trails of water on its surface, the youngster had a thought.
I must wash my hair!...But I want to do it in the rain!
When Alice found she could stand the pressing temptation no longer, she boldly stuck her freckled face out of the window as far as she could, to allow the large raindrops to wash her oily auburn strands. Grandmother had been after her for days to wash those sour smelling locks in the wash room basin with soap and not just water, which had been Alice's constant practice. But the incorrigible young lady, prone to harboring bad habits, blatantly ignored the old matriarch. Alice was growing up...fast...too fast, as those who knew her well, reckoned. She just turned fourteen and needed to rebel against authority.
As she hung her head contentedly out of the window, a high pitched, aged voice behind her, yelled for her to pull her head back inside and to close that window.
"You're letting all of the rain inside, you wretched child!" Grandmother yelled. The old woman could not, for the life of her, understand Alice's unwavering fascination with the elements!
"My mat is getting wet, young lady!" Alice continued to ignore her Grandmother while darts of moisture came violently pelting into the tiny livingroom, rapidly forming a huge puddle at Alice's feet. The lace curtains floated haphazardly as they were roughly managed by the unseen hands of raging winds. Much of Alice's auburn hair was plastered to her pale face, while other tresses of long, floating hair waved wildly in the onslaught of the angry gusts.
Grandmother was comfortably seated in her rocking chair by an inviting and crackling fire as she witnessed this disturbing scene. A red cape was draped lavishly across her thick knees, as she sat rocking back and forth, expertly sewing a hood onto the scarlet material. Her granddaughter's deliberate disobedience brought the old woman's work to an abrupt halt as she realized that she would have to leave her snug position and walk to the window to let the rebellious young monster, "have it!"
But she decided to give Alice a final warning.
"Don't make me come over there, Alice!"
The girl was bent on ignoring the voice of authority.
"Alice, I told you a thousand times to wash your hair in the basin,... WITH SOAP!" Grandmother could feel her face becoming warm from the tense anger building up inside her.
"You are letting in all of that rain and ruining my good rug!" The old woman shrieked. "I am going to make you mop up that mess!"
Upon hearing that, Alice pulled her red head inside and slowly turned to face her Grandmother, with green eyes blazing. Her head, shoulders and chest were greatly dripping with water, and the floral dress she wore, was thoroughly soaked through.
She faced her Grandmother head on, both of their eyes locking like horns!
Then Alice spoke in a low, steady tone. "Noone can make me do anything, anymore, old lady. I'm fourteen years old now." A dark expression came over Alice's countenance.
Grandmother abruptly stood up from her rocking chair and forcefully threw the cape she had been working on, onto the back of the rocking chair. The chair moved swiftly back and forth continuously, when she practically jumped out of it. It made a creaking noise as it rocked.
The woman was elderly, but she was strong. She stood with her legs wide apart and firmly planted on the wooden floor, with her hands on her hips. She stood as still as an iron statue, now bracing herself for battle.
From past experience, whenever Alice saw her Grandmother take this bold stance, she knew the old woman meant business.
In the same low, steady tone which mirrored her granddaughter's, the older woman spoke.
"Well, if I, as your Grandmother, can't get you to do anything anymore, then I think it's high time you left my house!"
Alice's eyes widened. How dare she! The girl resented her Grandmother's biting response.
The rebellious child then clenched her fists, stomped her foot in the growing puddle in which she stood, bared her pearly teeth and spat.
"I'm not going anywhere...Rebecca!" Alice bellowed, as she huffed and puffed.
This was war.
That did it.
Grandmother sharply shook her head in disbelief.
"REBECCA?" The old woman's voice trembled with rage. "THAT'S 'GRANDMOTHER' TO YOU!" She growled.
In an instant, Alice's fury turned to gripping fear.
Something seemed to be suddenly happening to her Grandmother's kind facial features!
The old woman's face was gradually becoming transformed!
Alice stood as frozen as the white winters she admired. She had to hold in her own biological "springtime shower" that was soon about to trickle down her legs to leave her standing in a different kind of puddle. Her face turned as blue as the cloudless summer skies, and her selfish pride, like the autumn season which she loved, immediately vanished like smoke.
Who or what was this fiend now standing triumphantly before her?!
It had big eyes, big ears, a big nose and worst of all...
"Gr...Gr...Grandmother...wha...what...b...b...BIG TEETH you have!"
"The better to EAT YOU WITH, MY DEAR!"
Then there was a bright flash of lightening.
The loud commotion of thunder which followed, and the strong, blustery winds, blocked out Alice's piercing screams of sheer terror!
A different type of puddle now appeared on those polished wooden floors...
And it was red.
THE END
A/N: Thank you for reading. Reviews are welcome :)