Paradise

Walking to the woods, raindrops the size of a cat's head and heavy like watermelons started pounding down from the sky. The clouds gathering above our heads were quickly turning tar-black. We kept going, figuring we'd find some shelter among the trees.

Then thunder boomed. A couple of beautiful bikini-clad girls giggled and ran to the water. They weren't alone; many people had spent the warm, humid afternoon by the lake, and most of them were in swimwear. The rain did nothing to cool the air down, but it did make the earth release its wonderful scent and turned the blueberry bushes a neon-like shade of green.

My T-shirt was wet, and I was afraid that it would be my Nikon's turn next. I tried to take a photo; battery dead. I couldn't take any photos. But that didn't spoil my mood. This was paradise, happy people enjoying the summer thunderstorm, the forest alive with colour and bird song, the smells of dirt and barbecue and sunscreen, the raindrops clinging on my bare arms.