When The Rain Falls

Epilogue

The sunlight blinded me as I brought Lightning to a halt at the edge of the woods. Sweat clung to my skin, small beads running down my face and dripping onto the collar of my shirt. A light breeze danced around us. It offered a small, cooling feeling, but the sun dominated the landscape around us once more.

Lightning, no longer the young horse he had once been, shook his head and stamped his foot impatiently. Even he knew we were late. I laughed, petting him lightly on the neck as I steered him back towards the stables, where a cool bucket of water and some fresh oats awaited him. He might not have been the energetic horse that loved to gallop across the grass, but he still loved his food.

I climbed off his back and handed the reins over to Joseph, now a man who had been willing to join my household. Inside the stable, I could see George's horse, Onyx, who eagerly awaited the return of his friend.

"George is looking for you, Master Nate," Joseph said.

"When isn't he?" I smiled. "Even after all these years, he still thinks me irresponsible."

"Or you have terrible timekeeping."

"Also that."

"He said he would wait for you in the hall."

"Thank you, Joseph."

With a slight nod of my head, I left Lightning in Joseph's capable hands and crossed the grass to the house. It was a large, imposing building but covered in windows to allow as much light in as possible. The lightly coloured brick helped to take away any of the fear that came with such a large building and I hoped it had the desired effect. This was one place that I wanted to make people smile.

I jogged up the front steps, stepping through the front door and into the open hallway full of light of various colours. The stained-glass above the door had been one of my more brilliant ideas and added a little fun to an otherwise boring hall. One of the cats, a small tabby thing named Strawberry, darted under my legs.

"You look a mess, Master Nate," George said, biting back a smile. "This is supposed to be a grand affair and you look like you have just woken up."

"Start as you mean to go on. I don't want this to be too formal of an event, George. That's not what this place is for."

"Here, here," Father said behind him.

For a man of fifty, Father still cut the imposing figure that would have small children trembling in fright, but his eyes danced with mischief far more than they used to. We had never been closer as Father and Son and he no longer felt the need to comment on my more questionable actions. Of course, I knew he wanted to. His cheeks would always turn red when I did something he didn't approve of.

"We shall have our first visitors arriving soon," George said. "It is coming up for ten now."

"Where would I be without you, George?"

"Probably face-down in a ditch somewhere, Nate." Alice smiled at me from the door to the parlour. Her daughter Constance clung to her leg as Andrew hovered nearby. I never recovered from the fact my sister had married my best friend.

"That is most likely true."

I glanced in the mirror in the hall, straightening the collar of my shirt but not bothering to do up my top button or try to flatten my hair. Whether I looked the part was irrelevant. It was the building and the people in it that mattered more than anything, and I hoped its purpose was enough to bring in the funding we needed.

A nervous fluttering built up in my stomach. After years of discussing it, testing new ideas, and wondering if it was even going to work, we were finally ready to open. It would be a new start for so many people, a new lease on life for those who may not get one otherwise. Everything had to go well if we were to make the dream a reality.

"I shall go outside and meet anyone who arrives early," George said.

George smiled and shuffled out of the hall, swiftly followed by Alice, Andrew, and little Constance, who refused to leave her mother's side. Father looked at me, a smile on his face, which was not something I had ever grown used to. There was a slight sadness in his eyes, a lingering thought about Mother and how she should have been with us to witness what we had built. I knew she was with us in spirit, though.

"How are you feeling?" Father asked.

"Terrified."

"That is understandable. You have worked so hard for this, Nate, and I am so proud of everything you have accomplished over the years. I am sure your mother would be proud too if she were here. You have done so well."

"I just hope it is a success."

"It will be. You'll be helping people, as you have always loved to do. This was your calling from the beginning, and I cannot wait to see you flourish."

Even after so many years, I had never grown used to Father's compliments. They still seemed strange, as though I wasn't deserving of them, but we had come a long way in those years and I was grateful. It had been strained at first, an awkwardness that we struggled to get past in those first few years, but we made it work. He had become my number one supporter and helped me to build my dream.

The building was to be a place of sanctuary for those who had suffered hardship in their lives. We specialised in helping children to get back on their feet and to realise that there was good in an otherwise dark world. Every part of the house had been built with joy in mind. Happiness oozed out of the walls, and I made sure all of our employed staff were up to the jobs we needed them for.

Before we had even opened our doors officially, we had taken in several children and watched them begin to flourish with us. We all knew it would take time for some of them to settle, but we were willing to do the work. The plan would be to send them out into the world when, and only when, they were ready to do so. I would never force anyone to do something they didn't want to do.

"Shall we step outside? You have potential sponsors to greet," Father said.

"I would rather stay with the cats."

He laughed. "Come on, my boy. Let's show them what The Rebecca Edwards Institute is capable of."

I nodded, tugging on my shirt one last time. The two of us stepped out of the hallway and back into the burning sun, where the guests had started to arrive. This was the moment I had been waiting for.

We never did find Rebecca.

Father tried, and countless people tried, but she just disappeared once again. Any friendship we had with Mrs Marlow was terminated and the last I heard they had gone bankrupt after spending all of Mr Marlow's money whilst having no other income. Alice said it was well deserved after what they did.

I never married.

The topic had come up, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. There were too many memories. Father didn't mind, and he always said he understood why I decided to remain a bachelor. It was a decision that worked for me and my estate would be split between George, Alice, and Joseph if it came to it, although I planned to stay around long enough to see the Institute grow.

As the years passed, I always held onto a slither of hope that Rebecca would come forward once more, but she never did. I hoped the Institute was a good testament to her name.

Although I couldn't help her, I could help others in similar situations. That was what really mattered in the end.

~~~

A/N - And that is it! When The Rain Falls is OFFICIALLY COMPLETED! Thank you for coming along on this journey with me!

First Published - May 30th, 2023