It had been a sunny 27 degrees (that's 80 degrees fahrenheit) and people were filling the closed except to pedestrian traffic. There were buskers and streetperfomers and knots of crowds in the steady stream of people gathering around them. A magician perfomed card tricks while a trio on bass, violin and flute were at the corner and down the block was an Andean pan pipe group selling CDs as people stepped forward fromthe lines of the crowd to dance. Not far from there, a group of a dozen Hare Krishna danced in bright robes hopping and singing with their stage and microphones set up on the sidewalk. 2 high school violinists were set up further fown the street. Many carts, kiosks, buses and stations were setup to feed any amount of salt, sugar or fat that anyone could want.

About mid-afternoon, the sky started to darken quickly. A storm front that had starting thunder two and three counts after its lightning flash. Huge drops started falling and people start to run as if there were a tornado on their collective butt. Lightning and a half dozen among the thousands started screaming, a few, started to hoot approval and excitement.

There were gusts of drenching heavy wind and the skies released themselves. Storm drains couldn't take the water away fast enough and the rain, still under an inch thick was washing in waves down the street.

The steps of nearby building verandahs were rapidly lined half a dozen rows deep with people taking cover. Some ran for cover in a nearby mall and quicly gained squishy wet shoes, soaked to the skin. Others headed to the nearer underground, taking refuge in a pedestrian underpass. The Hare Krishna adapted and shifted their stage and amps sets up and were drumming, tambourining and dancing, storm or no storm. Some huddled around the merry music.

A few could fit under the for under the cantilevered roof and overhang of aconferences centre. Two ladies perched up on the window sill of the Centre, smoking in the dry while 3 other young women crouched under the axle of a truck and watched the families run for cover with the baby strollers and umbrellas flipping up backwards and the university boys takeoff their soaked shirts and start to play tag in the rain.

The rain, bouncing back from the sidewalk with its force, then intermixed with hail. It came in sheets of wind. Sopping and blinded by the rain in their eyes in a short run, some grimacing, most laughing, more and more people crowded under the bridge to wait for the storm to abate. Everyone was underone roof, youth, children, middle aged, seniors, all colors, a few languages and a few fashions(goth, skateboarders, saris, trousers and golf shirts, punk and khaki) There were a fewhundred of us crammed cheek to jowl watching the rain and the latest comers.

Periodically someone would start a round of O Canada and dozens joined in, silenced by the occasional extra bright flash of lightning or gust of bigger hail.

As the minutes passed, some of the people started to break out of the flash flood mob choir to brave the lessening rain to go wherever it is people go. Dispersed, but aware of the unsualness of what had just transpired because of a sudden storm.

This submission has been viewed 1158 times.