Art Prompt Writing Contest #2 Clouds of Hope

Donnie's father called him a donkey because he was forever coming up with crazy ideas. He wanted so much to be a chef in a small restaurant, nothing too big or fancy, just a neighborhood cafe where everyone would feel welcome.

Stop that silly thinking his Father would always say in harsh tones. There are chores to be done here on the farm, the garden needs tending and the animals have to be fed. Now get moving or we will never get finished!

Donnie's big heart frequently got him in trouble. He would carry the old neighbor lady's grocery bags on her way home from the market or brush the dirt off his kid sisters knees when she fell off her bicycle.

Everyday Donnie took his lunch along with his pet terrier "Dewey" with him to tend the fields. It was a miserably hot summer as he worked the crops. Hoeing the dry sand and weeds away from the corn and peppers, he knew the harvest would not get them through till next season. His family counted on him, but no matter how much time he spent working, the Gods were against him. Some days he would haul 20 buckets of water up from the creek, the dry ground soaking it up like a sponge. He sang as he worked, dreaming of the sweet sauces he could make if only the crops would grow.

That same summer his Father grew very ill, his heart was weak from time spent working on the grapevines in the heat. Grapes were the families major source of income and they were used for many purposes from wine making to grape seed oil, and for delicious preserves used in desserts. While Donnie's Mother had to take care of his Father the burden of the farm now became his soul responsibility.

He worked from sun up to sun down every day. By nightfall he was too tired to eat. He fell into bed and sank into a deep sleep where he would dream of the delicacies he would bake in his little cafe in the village. He imagined his parents holding hands over a table in the corner laughing and sharing a pastry.

In the morning Donnie set out to pick the grapes. He found them small and hard from getting too much sun. More like a raisin than a grape. He felt like a failure, he cursed the ground he walked on and the One who had given him life. There was no consoling him. That night he didn't bother going home. No longer feeling like he could keep up this charade he had been telling his parents for all those months. He curled up on the ground next to his little dog and slumber came within seconds.

In his dream his dog was chasing a rabbit and barking madly, so loud in fact that Donnie woke up. It wasn't a rabbit his dog was barking at but a circle in the clouds where the sun shone through. A most unusual phenomenon accompanied by a long rain shower and then a spectacular rainbow. It lasted for hours leaving Donnie speechless. That day he returned to the fields working tirelessly and for the first time in weeks he went home happy.

photograph by @torico

To Donnie's astonishment this strange phenomenon lasted for 9 straight days, each day the plants became greener and the grapes more plump. In just 2 weeks he had harvested everything they had planted and bought it home by the basket full for his Mother and Sister to preserve. Donnie believed in his heart he had witnessed a miracle and in turn had been graciously rewarded for his hard work.