It was another fine day in Charleston with my friend and her sister. We had decided to go to ‘The Market’ downtown that day. We weaved through people left and right, stopping at different tables under the shelter of the building’s. Everyone was huddled under to get away from the sun.
The day was nice, you could fry an egg on the sidewalk, but it was nice. My porcelain self ducked under the buildings as much as I could. I only have two shades, porcelain, or lobster. The buildings were only about a car length a part, so I could bounce out of one building into the next without getting much sun. The buildings were also built to where you had to walk up a ramp to get into each one. The streets were a lot lower than the buildings for whatever reason.
We were halfway through these buildings when mother nature decided to change it up a bit. One second, it was sunny and hot, and the next second there were black clouds and a down pour. Out of nowhere, rain poured down on us like someone turned on a faucet. I was standing in one of the buildings watching people walk around as if nothing changed. They ducked out of one building into the next.
The rain itself didn’t bother me, I for one know I won’t melt. The water level, however, was a bit concerning. Before I could move, the water flooded the streets, the drains were so backed up it shot water BACK OUT OF THEM. The water level rose so fast and so high, it was beginning to enter the buildings. My friend (who used to live in Charleston) and her sister (who now lived there) didn’t bat an eye.
“Uh, is no one else alarmed by this?” I asked, pointing outside at the water level.
They both smiled at me, “No, this is normal.”
Of course it is.
Without another word they turned back to their table. I felt my head tilt a little as my brows furrowed. I glanced back outside at the water level, it was still coming down and the water was still rising. It was so high now; the water was over the tires on the cars that drove by. Still, everyone carried on. If this kept on, we would be washed into the ocean that was just down the street. I’m not a good swimmer and I don’t care to think about what’s out there in the ocean waiting for me.
I was about to voice my concern again when this random man in a KAYAK floated past us, in between the cars that were being overtaken by water. I watched as he paddled his little heart out, weaving in and out of the cars down the street.
And then, just like that, the rain stopped. The sun came back out and everyone kept on with their day. The streets were still flooded, the water splashed up against the buildings as people began to wade through it to the next building.
My friend and her sister stepped out into it.
“Um,” I spoke up.
They were a lot taller than me and the water hit their knees.
“It will be gone in a second,” my friend reassured me.
Because of my porcelain (white chicken) legs, I wore pants while everyone else wore shorts. Reluctantly, I followed behind them. Stepping into the flood, the water rose above my knees, soaking my pants and making it extremely hard to keep my flip flops on. As I struggled to get across the street to the other building, I was thinking about how random all those events were. Just as I lost one of my flip flops to a massive wave that swept by me, I looked up to see a horse and buggy stopped in front of me, waiting for me to get across the road so they could pass.
I’m sure I looked as confused as the horse did. I reached in and grabbed my floating flip flop and jumped back into the building, letting the horse and buggy pass by. My friend and her sister were already in the other building shopping. I stood at the door and watched them fade into the crowd as I pulled my flip flop back on. I decided to wait in the building until the water level dropped.
At this point, I’m pretty sure there were shark’s swimming in the streets.
The day was nice, you could fry an egg on the sidewalk, but it was nice. My porcelain self ducked under the buildings as much as I could. I only have two shades, porcelain, or lobster. The buildings were only about a car length a part, so I could bounce out of one building into the next without getting much sun. The buildings were also built to where you had to walk up a ramp to get into each one. The streets were a lot lower than the buildings for whatever reason.
We were halfway through these buildings when mother nature decided to change it up a bit. One second, it was sunny and hot, and the next second there were black clouds and a down pour. Out of nowhere, rain poured down on us like someone turned on a faucet. I was standing in one of the buildings watching people walk around as if nothing changed. They ducked out of one building into the next.
The rain itself didn’t bother me, I for one know I won’t melt. The water level, however, was a bit concerning. Before I could move, the water flooded the streets, the drains were so backed up it shot water BACK OUT OF THEM. The water level rose so fast and so high, it was beginning to enter the buildings. My friend (who used to live in Charleston) and her sister (who now lived there) didn’t bat an eye.
“Uh, is no one else alarmed by this?” I asked, pointing outside at the water level.
They both smiled at me, “No, this is normal.”
Of course it is.
Without another word they turned back to their table. I felt my head tilt a little as my brows furrowed. I glanced back outside at the water level, it was still coming down and the water was still rising. It was so high now; the water was over the tires on the cars that drove by. Still, everyone carried on. If this kept on, we would be washed into the ocean that was just down the street. I’m not a good swimmer and I don’t care to think about what’s out there in the ocean waiting for me.
I was about to voice my concern again when this random man in a KAYAK floated past us, in between the cars that were being overtaken by water. I watched as he paddled his little heart out, weaving in and out of the cars down the street.
And then, just like that, the rain stopped. The sun came back out and everyone kept on with their day. The streets were still flooded, the water splashed up against the buildings as people began to wade through it to the next building.
My friend and her sister stepped out into it.
“Um,” I spoke up.
They were a lot taller than me and the water hit their knees.
“It will be gone in a second,” my friend reassured me.
Because of my porcelain (white chicken) legs, I wore pants while everyone else wore shorts. Reluctantly, I followed behind them. Stepping into the flood, the water rose above my knees, soaking my pants and making it extremely hard to keep my flip flops on. As I struggled to get across the street to the other building, I was thinking about how random all those events were. Just as I lost one of my flip flops to a massive wave that swept by me, I looked up to see a horse and buggy stopped in front of me, waiting for me to get across the road so they could pass.
I’m sure I looked as confused as the horse did. I reached in and grabbed my floating flip flop and jumped back into the building, letting the horse and buggy pass by. My friend and her sister were already in the other building shopping. I stood at the door and watched them fade into the crowd as I pulled my flip flop back on. I decided to wait in the building until the water level dropped.
At this point, I’m pretty sure there were shark’s swimming in the streets.