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games drowned out any further conversation. Our carts stopped at the
bottom, letting us off one by one. I clambered down on shaking legs,
the solid ground beneath me still feeling as though it were rocking
unsteadily. Carly strode forward, her shadow pulsing on the ground.
David turned around and bent at the knees to face Joe. "That wasn't too
scary, was it?" He caught a glimpse of my white face as he straightened
up and took his son's hand in his. "It looks like you were more scared
than Joe! What, are you afraid of heights? Or how the cart rocks?" His
lips stretched into a smile, not quite smoothing away the tense wrinkles
ironed into his brow.

I waved my hands over the bowls, flicking away the flies. They
buzzed upward momentarily, then drifted back down. I rotated my
hand halfheartedly in a steady arc, then gave up, letting my hand droop
limply against my side. The air suddenly felt flat and still. "Do you want
to call the kids? Lunch is just about ready;' Elle said, not lifting her eyes
from the red napkins she was laying out, relics from Joe's birthday party.
I turned and took a hot, thick breath that became lodged in my throat
as I glanced towards the playground.

A roiling black cloud had splayed itself insidiously over the
landscape, wisps stretching overhead like fingers. Elle glanced up with
a cry of surprise, and dashed towards the playground to grab Daphne
and Joe. I felt a few fat, warm drops burst against my cheek as I glanced
towards the swingset.

Carly had extracted herself from the swing and turned to face
David, her hands planted on her hips. The wind whipped her skirt,
pressing it tightly against her legs. Her arms gestured wildly, and I could
hear the rise of her voice. David grabbed her arm, but she yanked it from
his grasp, turned, and dashed towards the playground. More raindrops
began to splatter on the table, hitting with a surprisingly loud "squelch."
I was surprised at the force of it, like eggs bursting on pavement. The
rain began to pool in the bowls, and the skin on the chicken crumbled
slowly, the rolls began to dissolve into soggy clumps. I should have
started wrapping things up, but I was too transfixed by the angry voices
and figures blurred by the rain.

Carly ran towards me, passing through the clearing between
the playground and the picnic tables, running parallel to a curb. Rivulets

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