It's pouring down rain outside.

Pouring.

It hasn't rained here in a long time and the smell of it is almost foreign to me.

I love it, even with the alien feeling I get while watching it. I can't help but be grateful that we're finally getting something to settle the smog in this sleepy town.

There's a rattle on the front door. I set my glass down; whiskey on ice because it's the only thing that sounded good in this sticky humidity that makes my hair turn three sizes bigger than it should be.

When I get to the door I can't help but laugh and wonder what my neighbors must think with this strange gang of critters at my front door. There's Jiles who's trying to hold a yellow rain jacket over Moses and Diana. Diana shakes out her fur that's about as big as my hair in this wetness while Moses just blinks at me; I forget that he's a water snake and probably has no problem with a little water.

"Well, my God, let us in," he half hisses to me.

I roll my eyes and take the coat from Jiles who lands on my shoulder before shaking his feathers out, splattering water all over my cheek. "Seriously?"

He shrugs. "It's just a bit of water, and how are you?"

I am careful not to step on Diana as she scampers past me towards the fireplace that crackles a warm hello to everyone. "Oh honey, it's just dreadful out there!"

"It's much better than it has been," I answer while Moses coils up in the corner.

I don't care that's it's summer. We had a cold front roll through; which is all the reason I need to light up a fire. It has to be one of my favorite things about this place.

"Drinks? Snacks? I made cookies but we have any poison of your choice and then some more."

Jiles caws out and flys over to my wet bar. He eyes the contents then looks back at the slowly sweating glass resting on the end table; my whiskey is calling to me like a siren and I'm dying to get back to it.

"I'll take one of those, neat please," he says.

"I will to honey!"

"Well, I do say—I suppose I am in for one as well."

I roll my eyes and nudge my chin to Moses. "Be a champ and help me then?"

He hisses, cranky but a slight tease which I never thought would describe a snake, but here we are, in my kitchen where Moses has somehow slithered up the refrigerator and wrapped part of himself around the handle on the top half that is the freezer. He uses his lower half the push the door away before looking at me. "Did you make more ice in those little shapes?"

"You mean the cactuses?"

"Yes, they were quite lovely."

"Unfortunately," I say as I pull out a rubber mold with large square cubes in it. "You are stuck to the original square."

"Sounds fitting," Jiles cackles out.

I roll my eyes and lay out the glasses, careful to put just a "splash" of water into Jiles' drink, which is apparently more complicated than it appears. Who knew...

I walk the drinks over and set them in front of their respective owner, fire slowly dying around us while the rain picks up. It's so dreary one could almost think it's fall;

I wish it was fall. I've always been more of a cold weather person anyways, or at least this kind of weather person—whatever that may mean.

"Well thank you for having us over again honey?"

I smile mostly because I had forgotten how fairy-like Diana sounds. If I was mistaken, I would have thought her kin to the Green Fairy in "Moulin Rouge" rather than a muskrat from a Louisiana swamp.

"Of course," I answer, giving her neck a scratch. "I miss you all. It's been too long."

"Well, what's new?" Moses asks.

"A lot and nothing at all," I half-laugh out.

"Sounds familiar," Jiles adds.

"How is everything with you all?" I ask.

Jiles sips his drink then shrugs. "Oh you know—it's quite busy for us. Mostly me; babysitting a grown ass crow has become a full time job."

"How are the lovebirds, eh?" Moses half-snickers out.

Jiles rolls his eyes. "Very lovey-dovey." He takes another drink. "And how are our favorite sirens?"

"Oh quite lovely. Willie almost escaped the house into this realm, which would have been quite the ruckus. She's a bloodthirsty little thing right now. Truly a pain—bless her heart."

"Oh now you stop that!" Diana huffs out. "She's just going through a lot, you were a pain too when we all first died! Remember that?! I had to drag your grump snake ass around until you would cheer up!"

"I could never imagine that one grumpy," I say with a tilt of my chin towards Moses.

He rolls his eyes and flicks his tongue at me. "No one said dying was fun."

"Yes, but you didn't have to make it worse!" Diana huffs again. She takes a sip of her drink then looks over at me, sleep crawling around in her eyes. "Well, what about you dear? What's new then?"

I shrug. "I am in editing city, which is both fun and also painful and also—well, a pain in the ass?"

They start laughing before I start laughing, the whiskey calming my anxious heart that flutters when I think about the amount of work I still have to do. Diana scampers to me and pets my leg with her little paw. "There-there dear, it will all be fine. Besides, you have some great things coming soon."

"I do," I say with a smile.

"Like?" Moses asks.

I look at Jiles who winks at me. "Like maybe you should all check your libraries soon."

"So cryptic." Moses rolls his eyes. "I don't know how I feel about that."

"Oh you're one to talk!" Diana glares at him then looks back at me. "But we don't like secrets dear."

I can't hide things from her, even if I wanted to. She's got a way of making you willingly spill your soul and then some to her.

"Safe Haven, it's not that far."

"And?"

"And stay tuned," I add. "I think we are all missing our favorite crow, besides Jiles, and Ava, of course."

"Mostly Ava," Jiles snickers out. "Julian is molding and it's bloody awful."

"Sounds like a mess?"

Jiles nods at Moses. "Mostly a mess of complaining. He brings it on himself. I told him to brush his feathers, but of course, I am never right."

"He's just stubborn," I say to him, scratching his neck a bit. "You know he adores you."

"I think I adore you dear."

I roll my eyes. "Fine, you can stay for dinner too. Happy?"

"Oh yes, you made a lovely pasta last time we were here."

"I do love dinner parties honey!"

I stand up, sipping my whiskey on the way, stretching my knees that don't feel any younger today. "And I love all of you," I answer before moseying to the kitchen, secrets still on my lips and stories still floating in my brain.

—————————————————————————————————————

That's right guys!

Check your libraries! Deets and other fun things are awaiting for you!

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~Z. W. Taylor AKA