Heavy rain had fallen in Oseh community that popular Nkwo market day, and it was the first rain of the year, bringing a protracted dry season to a sudden stop Chidimma was home alone. Her parents, Obele and Ndudi, had not returned from the market.

Before that first rain, the.t was a long stretch of severe droUght and it was one of the worst droughts ever: no water, no food. People, therefore, longed and prayed for the rain, and at last, it came. The arrival of the first rain had never come and gone in Oseh without stories to tell, mostly sad news. It was. often characterised by squally showers that had so many times left the community with stories of loss of lives or properties.

It all started with howling wind which kept everyone on the run, then followed by the rain that dropped like the stones of snow. And it rained c.a.t and dog as if the doors of heavens were thrown open. Lightning and thunderstorms made it more dreadful.

When the heavy rainfall finally abated, some elderly people started coring out as usual to ascertain the damages caused by the rain. Some pathways that were earlier deserted as a result of the rainfall had begun to play host to some people who had come out of their hiding places to either return to their homes or continue on their journeys.

Chidmma had rushed to ukwu ugiri to pick some ugiri fruits not taking note of the havoc the rain had done to her father’s barn. Two women, Mmachi and Obinwa were returning from Maazi Akpunku’s house: where they went to sympathise with the family on the destruction inflicted upon them by the thunderstorm, which had cut a huge branch of an orji tree and had thrown it on top of the roof of their building leaving the house in rack and ruin.

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