The Tuesday When the Rain Wouldn’t Stop

The people who lived in the town of Erly were so bright and cheerful that they were given an award for being the sunniest town in the country. Everybody was very pleased, and the Town Council decided to put up a sign in the main street, that said, ‘Sunniest Town in the Country’.

One Tuesday, the rain was passing when he saw the sign. It made him very angry. He said, “Sunniest town in the country, hah! I’ll show them!” He gathered all his clouds together and started to rain.

The people of Erly smiled and said to each other, “This is a nice drop of rain. The gardens and the grass will love it.”

“Gardens, hah!” said the rain. “I’ll show them!”

He rained harder and harder, until all the gardens and the grass and everyone’s front lawns were completely covered in water.

The people smiled and said, “This is very good rain. This will soon fill the dam up!”

“Fill the dam, hah!” growled the rain. “I’ll show them!”

He rained and rained and rained, as hard as he could. The water in the dam rose higher and higher, until it reached the top and spilled over. The streets were filled with water, and even the cars were floating.

The people smiled and said, “Great weather for boating!” They got out their tinnies and their kayaks and their paddle-boards and their canoes and paddled up and down the streets.

“Boating! Hah!” snarled the rain. “I’ll show them!”

He rained harder than ever. The rain poured and pelted and bucketed down. The water in the streets rose higher and higher and started to come into people’s houses.

The Town Council decided that something had to be done. “Something has to be done,” they said to each other. “It’s time to pull the plug.”

They all paddled into the middle of the town where the War Memorial clock stood, with a big heavy chain around the bottom. They pulled very hard on the chain, and the plug came out with a loud ‘plop’. The rainwater swirled round and round, and rushed and gurgled down the plughole.

The streets were clean and dry again. The flowers and the grass sparkled.

The rain gathered up his clouds and went off in a huff to rain somewhere else.

The sun came out, and the people of Erly smiled at each other. They put away their paddles and their umbrellas and their gumboots, and went out to enjoy the sunshine.