FALLING

Mama looked grey. And Mama was a reflection of her.

Where she was from, families were their own mirrors. They mirrored everything but emotions. And only the members could distinguish their genders or ages. They were that close-knit, yet overly distinct.

Big Boss beat the drums, and it was time to fall. Uncle Sparks had to flash the light, and then falling would really begin. Celine didn't mind falling from time to time. But it was falling season, and falling would be regular for about two months straight. She would be better off getting used to it. There was no circumventing any of it.

Below, the humans scrambled about, trying to get prepared for her and her folks. Darn, she dreaded it as much as they. Of course they couldn't tell. They were human, she was cloud. All around, her people began to get ready; trimming their hair and etc to get lighter. Anything to delay the fall. Useless. Especially the unfortunate ones with their homes on lower spheres. They always fell first. Almost always.

There were many reasons why Celine hated falling.

1. It messed up her make-up. Yeah, stylists advised to look blah in falling season. But if she wanted a suitor, she knew better than to follow this advice. It added color to her whiteness; you know, a way to get rid of some of the blandness. But when the falling began, the make-up slipped right away with the falling. And in such moments, frustrating was an understatement

2. And as if that wasn't enough, the humans began running and screaming when her folks DID fall. Like, 'Shut the hell up! We don't like this as much as you!' These humans. They made her seem like a terror, when she was in fact, just going along with her natural tendencies. Then there were those that would laugh outright. Like falling was anything fascinating. The humans with cutlasses and hoes especially, would stand back and look so satisfied. It was impossible not to wonder what the excitement was about. The brethren that fell in the soil had it worse. The ants and worms and the other gruesome inhabitants swallowed them alive. Others that slid down windows had a preliminary vision of the plight ahead; the humans sleep a lot in falling season.

3. Plus, falling had a knack of ruining her relationships. Every fall would end in death. Some folks were scorched to death, some drowned, and others were devoured. Many preferred drowning, because even in death, the sea was vast enough to guarantee companionship. And even though there was reincarnation, it wasn't much compensation. She, for one, found little solace in it. There was no telling whether she'd meet her present lover in her next life. After dying 5 times already, she had never met any of her previous ones. Made courting seem useless.

Just then, Uncle Sparks gave the signal, and it was time to go against her will; it was time to fall. And before she fell, Celine hoped that just this once, she would meet Sheldon in her next life.

He was quite a hunk.

By Edith Smart

Original