Thanks, Ray!

The rain poured down outside, streaming down the windows, obscuring the view. The old barn almost looked good through the distortion, Carolyn thought, rather than looking like an eyesore. She sat in her window seat, a half-finished afghan in her hands, half knitting, but her attention was not on her project for once. Carolyn was lonely. She had been lonely for quite some time now, but she definitely noticed it recently. There was something about the rain that made it worse. With a sigh, Carolyn forced herself to pay attention to her knitting. For a few minutes, it worked.

Suddenly, a movement outside caught Carolyn's attention. She looked up, but didn't see anything. She shuddered involuntarily as she reclled the last time she had gone out to investigate a mysterious movement in the barn. Carolyn had been less than thrilled to find a very large snake who had made himself at home there. That was the last time she had been in the barn.

Carolyn watched the barn for a moment longer, but saw nothing. She shook her head, deciding that it must have just been a piece of dirt trapped in the water running down the window. She turned her attention back to her knitting, pointedly ignoring any further motion.

A moment later, the doorbell rang and Carolyn started. She wasn't expecting anyone today... quickly, she finished her row. The doorbell rang again, this time accompanied by a knock. Carolyn set down the afghan but kept the now-empty knitting needle in her hand - she did not own a gun, but suddenly wished she did. A knitting needle did little to comfort her when she wasn't expecting anyone to just pop in...

She approached the door cautiously and leaned forward to look through the peephole. Standing in the small pool of light was a man, drenched with rain. Carolyn stared, trying to recognize him. The man turned, and Carolyn gasped, the needle falling from her hand. She fumbled with the lock, finally opening the door wide.

"Jack..."

Jack looked at the woman before him. "I love you, Carolyn," he whispered, stepping inside. He only had to open his arms and Carolyn was there, tears streaming down her face as she melted into his wet embrace.

"I love you, too," she whispered back.

**Inspired by a photo by Ray Veen