English final

It poured. Large raindrops thudded down on Lorraine’s beat-up Toyota Corolla as she
sped off along the deserted desert highway. Black rainclouds surrounded the tiny red
vehicle as she drove further into no-where. Her clothes were torn and her body was
sore all over but her face was an image of utter determination, her eyebrows creating a
deep valley between her eyes. In the passenger seat was a half empty bottle of whiskey.
She’d been drinking. The only sounds that could be heard were the raindrops falling and
the care engine turning over, faster and faster.
There was a storm of thoughts running through Lorraine’s mind yet she felt strangely
calm, like she’d been sedated by some powerful drug. Every idea and thought however
led straight back to the first boy, the boy she’d foolishly had an affair with. His name
was Jack Bayley and he was maybe a year older than Jamie, slightly taller and a bit
bigger in build, and deep blue eyes. Oh how Lorraine loved to stare into those deep
ocean coloured eyes during their intimate moments together, with his long brown hair a
mess on his head.
The storm raged on further and further and any light that was peering through the
clouds had disappeared into the deep abyss of space. The only traces of light now came
from Lorraine’s dashboard, headlights and strikes of lightening that lit up the flat
landscape for a brief period only to seace into its original dark shadow. Puddles of mud
surrounded both sides of the road and seemed to stretch out limitlessly into the
horizon. She reached over and took another swig out of the bottle of whiskey.
Lorraine could remember so clearly the day Jack disappeared. She’d begged and
pleaded him not to mess around and stay out of Butcher’s way. That afternoon he’d
come back to Archie’s house and she was waiting there at the table with Archie just like
she had done with Jamie a couple of days ago.
“I have to find this girl”, he said with determination and slight anger in his eyes as
Lorraine had run up to hug him. She remembered those eyes vividly.
“Please don’t. Jack, honey please don’t mess with Butcher. He’ll kill you,” Lorraine
pleaded with tears down her face.
“I have to. Butcher can’t get away with all he’s done.”
Lorraine had no response and just clung on to his solid frame. Jack tried to move
towards the door but still she clung on, gaining solid grip on the lower part of his t-shirt.
Jack pushed Lorraine off of him with a shove and she fell to the floor, part of his shirt
that had been ripped off in her hand. With this he stormed out, part of his abs showing
from under the torn fabric.
The clouds seemed to grow darker and the rain continued to poor. Just up ahead, she
could see the road disappear into a brown rushing river. It was common for this lower
part of the road to flood at this time of year and she knew that perfectly well. Lorraine
sat there clutching the whiskey bottle in one hand and pulled the piece of cloth that had
once belonged to Jack. Just touching it brought back memories of their time together.
She could feel his spirit with her. She could feel him sitting there next to her.
More flashes of lightning lit up the barren landscape, illuminating the brown wall of
water in front of the vehicle. It seemed to span on forever in both directions as it
enveloped the road. Lorraine noticed as she left town the weight in her stomach and the
feeling of being trapped started to rise, but thinking about the boy suddenly brought it
all back like waves crashing on a beach during a storm. It was overwhelming. She
reached for the door handle and immediately stepped out into the rain, still clutching
the piece of cloth. The rain drops fell on her face, washing away all the clouds in her
mind. She knew what she must do.
It rained for 2 weeks that year. After those weeks, Port Barren seemed to be rid of the
corruption that had reigned over it for so many years. Like the clouds had come and
washed away all the despair that had loomed over the town like a blanket over a bed.
After those weeks, the beat up Corolla lay on it’s side, like a warning to those who wish
to drive during the… rainy season.