Umbrella

There was a town where it only ever rained. The sun never broke through the clouds, and the rain never stopped falling. Since the sun was never seen, the people living in the town never new its warmth. Without the warmth of the sun to brighten their days, the people of the town were never really happy- and since the people were never really happy, they weren't very kind. That lack of kindness eventually drove the rest of the world to build a giant wall around the town to keep the unkind people inside- and so that town was left to its own means. The people of the town governed themselves, and the laws they created were harsh and cruel. Those without homes were not allowed jobs. Those without jobs, were not allowed money from anyone or for doing anything. Those without money, could never buy the one item most needed in the town. An umbrella. As an added, even crueler law, people were never allowed to share their umbrellas with the homeless.

Living in this cold and unforgiving town, were two boys- Juno and Fidele. They were a pair of homeless boys who had been abandoned and disowned by their parents for being unfit according to social standards. Juno was two years younger than Fidele, but taller than him. He had snow white hair and piercing violet eyes. Fidele was older than Juno, but shorter than him. He had pitch black hair and eyes so blue they could put glaciers to shame. Beautiful as they were, they couldn't get jobs because they had no homes- and since they had no homes, they couldn't get the money they needed to buy the one item that would make life on the streets easier for them. An umbrella. Thanks to the cruel laws of the town the pair had no means of comfort on the streets- aside from each-other. The closest they ever came to feeling happy was when they were huddling together under a tree or lap post to try and hide from the rain and keep warm. Since the town had so many cruel ways there weren't any places for them to take shelter, so they only found solace in each-other.

Eventually, there came a day where nothing seemed out of routine for the two. They'd just settled against a wall after a long day of struggling to find edible food that hadn't been ruined by the rain. Then, a woman stumbled across them. She wasn't much older than they were, though she looked about their ages by appearance. Unlike them she had a home, and a job that provided enough money for her to buy an umbrella. All in all, she seemed to be just another unkind, unhappy woman roaming the streets on her way home from work. That is, until she stopped in front of them and held her umbrella over their heads to get them out of the rain, whilst putting her in it. As soon as they felt the rain stop hitting their heads, the boys looked up at the woman. Their expressions were that of confusion and fear. Confusion because they didn't know why she was bothering to pity them- and fear, because they knew what was going to happen to her for it.

"Why?..." Fidele asked quietly as he stared up at the woman with wide eyes that began to tear up as he spoke. Despite the fear, and the confusion, he found himself feeling happy because of her sudden kindness. Since he'd never felt pure joy before, the only way he could express it was through tears. In response to hearing his question, the woman smiled down at him and laughed quietly.

"You looked... Cold, under the rain... I thought this might help you warm up..." The woman said quietly as she moved to kneel in front of the boys, who by then were both crying. As soon as she knelt, she reached for Juno's hand and took it, then she put the handle of the umbrella in his hand.
"Here, you can keep it." She said gently as she let go of her umbrella, only to watch as Juno dropped it on the muddy ground in shock. She looked at him with a confused expression and reached for the umbrella to give it back to him, only to be stopped dead in her tracks when he sprang forward and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Why?! Your breaking the law knowing your going to get arrested for it?! We're just a couple of worthless freaks sitting on the streets! Why would you be nice to us!?! WHY?!!!" Juno shouted through his sobs as he clang to the woman, who's expression slowly turned from one of shock to one of sorrow. After a while, she gently pushed him away from her, then she took him by the shoulders and looked him in the eye.

"Your asking me why, but I don't know... Maybe... Maybe its because I'm sick and tired of watching everyone suffer. Maybe its because I don't like these stupid laws that prevent kindness. Maybe its because I'm so sick of being part of the world that I just want to be locked away from it... Or... Maybe, its because I think the rain is the sky's way of crying over how the people here behave... Maybe I don't want the sky to be sad anymore... Maybe all I need to do to make the sky stop crying is to help people for once and not focus on myself. Maybe if I can make the sky stop crying, the sun will come out. Then everyone here will see the sun and remember how good if feels to be nice to people... Then everyone will start being nice, and the sky will never cry like this again..." The woman said hesitantly as she looked from Juno to Fidele then back, before she picked up the umbrella once again and placed it in Juno's trembling hands. Then, she smiled at the boys warmly, before suddenly being yanked away from them by her shoulders. Just like that, the police had arrived to take her away. She did not fight or struggle as they dragged her away from the boys, nor did she complain when they roughly shoved her into the back of the police car.

Juno and Fidele were helpless to do anything aside from watch as the first person to ever show them kindness was taken away and arrested for it. They knew that would be the last they ever saw of the woman, who's wish seemed to be being nice to people in hopes of making the rain stop so that everyone could see the sun, then learn what it was like to be happy. They clung to the umbrella she had given them as they cried over the cruelty of the world- the world that was designed to punish the kind and reward the wicked. That night became the first they had experienced out on the streets where they weren't forced to shiver under the constantly pouring rain- because the umbrella kept them safe and dry. Even so, they did not sleep- because the sadness that had entered them despite the joy they'd felt was to much for them to sleep through. They knew that the woman had been taken to jail, and locked away for the remainder of her life- and so they cried. Just as she cried freely when the bars slammed closed behind her back once she was thrown into her cell. However, her tears were not tears of sadness- but of joy. Yes, she had found her happiness. She had lost everything to help two people who needed what she had more than she did- and she would do it all over again if given the opportunity.

That night, the three remained awake as they cried- and because they never fell asleep, they were the first to see the miracle that occurred the following morning. For the first time in years- for the first time in their lifetimes- the rain stopped. The rain stopped, and then the clouds parted to reveal for the first time in eons, the warming glow of the sun. When the sun was revealed, the three stood in awe and stared at it with wonder. Then, fresh tears of joy began to stream down their cheeks as they basked in the warmth of its light. That day, the people of the town gathered then stared in wonder at the clear sky. Within the first week, all of the towns cruel laws were changed at the demand of the people- who had quickly learned that the sun broke through the clouds after someone had dared to break a law. In truth, the woman was the only one in jail- because she was the first and only person to defy the cruel laws. So, whether it was true or not, the people believed that her actions were responsible for the rain finally stopping and the sun appearing at last. The people were so persistent with their demands that by the end of the second week, the woman was released from jail and allowed to live without the arrest on her record.

Once freed, the first thing the woman did was adopt Juno and Fidele. She put them in a nice home, and she cared for them- she accepted them as they were and encouraged them not to change for sake of others acceptance. The rest of the town did likewise. Everyone without a home was given one, and then they were given the jobs to provide the money the would need to support themselves. Then, after many many years of working to make the town a better place to live, the walls surrounding the town were torn down so that a little more kindness could enter the world.