Word: Pluvial

 

pluvial

[ ploo-vee-uhl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to rain, especially much rain; rainy.

2. Geology. occurring through the action of rain.

noun

3. Geology. a rainy period formerly regarded as coeval with a glacial age, but now recognized as episodic and, in the tropics, as characteristic of interglacial ages.

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               It was raining. It was raining just like it had been for the past several days. Weeks even. Nobody quite knew why it was raining so much, just that it was constant. And it was not a steady rain either. Some thought that would be preferable to what was going on. At least then they might be able to point to a source. Some oddity of weather that caused it to rain, and would eventually pass on.

               No, in reality, the rain varied. Some days it was a light drizzle. Others it was a torrential downpour. But always, the rain fell. What made it worse was that there was no escape from it. Everywhere on Earth was raining. Even the vast deserts and tundras got more rain in a few days than in entire years prior.

               And everyone had something to say about it. Scientist said it was climate change. The excess water in the atmosphere was simply coming down. That it would pass eventually. And it may even become cyclic if current conditions persisted.

               Religious groups said it was due to god’s wrath. That the divine was punishing us for something. Of course each group thought the punishment was for a different reason, and each tried to shout theirs louder than the others. But they all said it would only end if all of humanity repeated and joined their religion, whatever that may be.

               Most people did not care though. For most people, a little rain was nothing to worry about. They still had bills to pay, and mouths to feed. The rain was just another thing they had to deal with. There were those that worried about floods, but most either dealt with the rising water levels, or moved to higher ground.

               Others chose to prepare in extreme ways. Hoarding supplies and planning bunkers. Many even started building boats of various sizes. All to deal with what they felt was the end of civilization as it had been. Some welcomed the idea of new, aquatic lifestyle, while other rallied against it. Tried to find a way to stop the constant rain.

               Regardless of people’s attitudes towards the rain, they all had to learn to live with it. They learned to deal with staying inside. With the sound of the falling rain. With no longer seeing the sun. Most experts thought that there would be an uptick in psychiatric problems soon, but few had manifested so soon. But plans were already being made to deal with the problems when they started.

               And still, people lived. They lived with the rain. They lived around it. Most people though that a little rain was no reason for life to stop completely. A little rain never hurt anyone, after all. They would keep going as they always had, rain or not. They would live with it. They would survive. And even if the rain never stopped, people would keep on living.

               They would keep on living despite the constant, ceaseless rain. 

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I'm not gonna lie, I'm very tired right now. Thanks to that, this probably isn't all that good. Honestly, I'm not even sure it counts as a story, really. Maybe the rough beginning of one?  But it's what I got, so it's what I wrote.