--- Kicking off the next 'chapter' in this collection, we have a story inspired by a much simpler song (the first paragraph has a great many more words than the song has lyrics)

Tuesday March 5

A crack of thunder shattered my sleep. I sat up in the dark, eyes adjusting slowly to the dark. My bedroom looked the same as always. A semi-tidy pile of dirty clothes overflowing the hamper by the door, the stuck drawer on my dresser half-open. Another rumble of thunder rolled over the house. Rain pattered on the roof. It wasn’t forecast to rain all week, much less drop a lightning storm on top of me. Getting up, I opened my window right as a bolt of lightning defined the roiling underside of heavy clouds above. My mind was called years back and far away.

“Dave, You’re gonna miss it!”

“I’m sure the rain will still be-“

Hands closed around my forearm, pulling my 9-year old self tripping down the hall. Those hands belonged to a girl two years my junior, Azure Blackwood. I always thought that named belonged on some high class estate, either rich or English nobility. Certainly it didn’t belong in the backwater midwest farm town where I met the girl the name was attached to. She leaned her whole weight into dragging me to the front room of my parents house. Sure enough, the storm was still in full swing when we reached the couch and the big bay window behind it. Azure let go of me then, climbing up to stand on the couch. She leaned over the back, pressing her face to the glass.

“Az, smushing your face won’t help you watch.”

She pulled back just enough to talk, not turning to look as she waved a frantic arm.

“Get up here D! Isn’t this so cool?”

A flash punctuated her statement, followed by a roll of thunder that rattled the house. With an appreciative ooh I clambered up next to my friend. Az dropped her hand to squeeze my wrist, forgetting to let go as another lightning bolt lit up the night sky. Little kid me didn’t understand the tingle that her hand on my wrist caused. I just knew I didn’t dislike it.

“I wanna dance in it!”

“What? Az, you’re crazy. That stuff could kill you.”

“Nuh-uh!”

“Um, yes. Mommy warned me way too many times. That’s why we hafta watch from here now, remember?”

Azure turned long enough to stick her tongue at me before going back to watching the show. Feeling responsibility as the older one, I kept going.

“Did you already forget that tree dad showed us, all split and burnt up?”

“Well one day I’mma dance in the ligh’ning!” She let go to push my shoulder. “See if I don’t!”

I had to grab the couch back not to fall when she pushed. Took me a second to get me footing on the soft cushions.

“Okay, Az. I’m sorry. You’ll figure it out, some day.”

“And I’ll show your mom I’m safe. She’ll hafta let you come dance with me!”

Elementary school Dave wasn’t too sure about that idea. I didn’t want to get knocked over again either, so I didn’t tell her that.

Memory skipped forward to the last day I saw Azure. The sky was clear, the sun too bright as we walked home from school together. We both came to a stop at the fence line in front of my parents’ house. Azure’s mom usually showed up about an hour after school got out to take her home for dinner. That day, she was standing on the porch, watching us. When we stopped at the gate, she waved us on. She tried to smile, but she was looking in all directions as she beckoned us and we both knew something was wrong. I jumped a little when Azure grabbed my hand, before giving a squeeze I hoped was reassuring.

“Mom, what’s going-“

“I’m sorry Azure.” Her mom gave us both an apologetic look as she extended a hand. “We need to go.”

Azure kept looking back and forth between us as she let go of my hand to take her mom’s.

“What’s wrong?”

“How can I help?” My voice sounded like a kid even to me.

“It’s okay, David.” Azure’s mom steered the two of them around me, headed back down the steps and away from the house. “Thank you, for everything.”

My friend still couldn’t decide where to look.

“Mom, what’s going on?”

“Hush now, Azure. I’ll explain what I can on the way.”

“On the way?” The look she gave me then was pure horror. I was too young and surprised to do anything but stand there and look back at her. “On the way where mom?”

“I’m sorry, little Azure.”

“David! David, I-“

“Azure Blackwood.” Azure’s mom never yelled. She just used that tone that you knew meant dire punishment waited if you didn’t clam up and obey smartish. Azure stopped fighting her mom’s pull, but still watched me over her shoulder.

“I- I’ll see you later David.”

“Yeah. See you.”

I didn’t move from the spot there on the porch until after Azure and her mom were long gone. That was when mom finally opened the door behind me to tell me to go inside. What I did was run all the way to the fence gate and look the way Azure had gone. I didn’t see anything but empty road, of course.

The rain died away, a last roll of thunder barely loud enough to reach my room. Drawing my bedroom curtain shut, I crawled back into bed. Not that I’d be getting back to sleep quickly. Thunderstorms always reminded me of Azure. Where had she gone? What was she up to now? I never even got a letter after the day they moved. That had been 15 years ago. No point dwelling on it again. Not that telling my brain that did me any good at all. So I settled in for a long night of useless speculation.