By Neil Primus

Heather walked along the moonlit road on her way home. She lived in Crows Corner, a small community some distance from the city. She worked as a Cosmetologist in the city and was now making her way home. It was ten thirty at night and the road was lonely and long.It began to rain heavily and Heather ran for the nearest shelter available. She ended up in an old abandoned building at the very outskirt of the village. The rain hammered loudly on the old zinc roof and the numerous holes allowed a generous amount of water to spray inside. The light wind picked up and pulled a cold chill along with it.
It showed no sign of stopping and water was entering the shelter freely. Heather began to consider walking through the rain. The dark building felt damp and smelt of garbage and faeces. She glanced uncomfortably around and her eyes fell on a large old black umbrella. She looked carefully around but there was no one else about. She would borrow it and return it the next morning; if no rain of course. Picking it up, she opened it with a loud snap. Stepping out into the downpour, she walked briskly home.
Michael saw Heather in the road ahead. He jogged up to her and started chatting amicably.
“Hi babes.”
She as usual ignored him.
“Worked late again?”
She just kept walking.
Michael liked her but she hated him. He was the village bum. He was unemployed, idle and proud of it. Whenever she passed him on the street he would do his best to attract her attention. His strategy involved sauntering directly in her vision, or walking beside her and filling her ears with his sweet words. None of the above had any positive effect on the girl. He kept trying valiantly. Maybe one of these days he would make a breakthrough. Tonight was another chance. He stepped closer and made his play.
“Could you give me some shelter?”
Without waiting for the inevitable retort, he ducked nimbly under the umbrella.
SPLASH!
Michael found himself sprawled in a large pothole filled with murky water. He struggled to keep his calm. She was much stronger than her small physique suggested. He moved closer again.
“You shouldn’t be so harsh Heather.” He chided. “I like you.”
“Well I don’t like you and if harsh will get rid of you harsh I’ll be.”
He smiled and ducked under the umbrella again.
PLY!
His face stung from the ringing slap. He got up calmly looking curiously at her as she retreated up the road. That was enough for now. He would try again another day.
Heather was hot, stuffy and very annoyed. Of all the persons she would run into on such a horrid night it just had to be Michael. What rotten luck. She ignored him and kept walking as he made his attempt to attract her. He slipped under the umbrella and fell noisily into a water filled pothole. Serves him right. He got up and came at her again.
When he stepped under the umbrella the second time a strange thing occurred. She heard a sharp sound as if he had been slapped hard. Strange-she kept walking refusing to look back. Even though it was raining and the breeze was blowing a chilly front, she felt very hot as she walked quickly down the road. Heather turned the corner and headed for her house.
When she arrived in front of her home the door swung open and her mother stood there. Her mom never slept until her daughter was in the house.
“Hurry up an get in out de rain child.”
Heather turned towards her gate and immediately felt a great difference. It was as if an invisible weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
“Thank You!”
The voice came from under the umbrella and Heather knew right away that she had been sheltering a spirit. Dropping the umbrella she ran into the house trembling in fear. Her anxious mother closed and locked the door behind her.
Heather told her mother everything. Nodding, her mother opened the door intending to retrieve the dropped umbrella. The umbrella had vanished. Some distance up the road, the umbrella bobbed up and down waiting to offer shelter to another lucky traveller.