Val watched the drops from her bed as they coursed slowly down the glass, keeping her eye on two in particular — waiting to see which would win the race. She was betting on the one on the left. There were more droplets in its path, more opportunities to gain momentum and pick up speed. “Val, are you — ” Mrs. Kimble's words cut off as she poked her head into her daughter's bedroom and saw her lying partially off her bed while staring at the window upside-down. “What on earth are you doing?” Val didn't take her eyes from the window. “Watching the rain.” Mrs. Kimble laughed, or started to, but she turned it into a cough. She said sternly, “Well you can't stay in bed all day. Go do something productive. Read. Watch TV. Call Lisa.” “Watching TV is productive? Since when?” “Valerian Marie Kimble, if you do not get out of that bed right this instant I'm going to take away your computer.”
