The rain began while Ginger was sitting on the front steps, watching a lizard dart between the warm stones beside the flower bed. At first, she thought someone had turned on a sprinkler. One cold drop landed on her bare knee, then another on the back of her hand.

Ginger looked up.

The sky above her was blue. Not completely blue, because a few puffy gray clouds were drifting over the neighborhood, but the sun was shining so brightly that Ginger had to squint. She held out her hand. Another raindrop splashed into her palm.

It was raining in the sunshine.

Ginger stood and walked into the yard. The drops came faster, making dark circles in the dusty ground and tiny spots across the sidewalk. The leaves on the bushes trembled whenever a drop struck them, and the dry earth began giving off that wonderful smell that came only when rain touched it.

But the sunlight never disappeared.

Ginger turned slowly in a circle, trying to understand how two completely different kinds of weather could be happening at exactly the same time. Rain belonged to dark clouds and thunder and afternoons when everyone hurried to close the windows. Sunshine belonged to blue skies and hot sidewalks and shadows beneath the trees.

They weren't supposed to happen together.

At least Ginger didn't think they were.

She stepped farther into the yard. The rain was cool against her face and arms, but the sunshine felt warm on her shoulders. When she looked toward the street, she could see the rain falling through the sunlight. Every drop flashed for just an instant before disappearing.

Ginger grinned.

She ran across the yard.

There weren't enough puddles to splash in yet, so she made up her own game. She tried to catch raindrops on her tongue. She stretched out both arms and spun until the houses, fences, and trees blurred around her. Then she stopped and stood perfectly still, letting the rain find her.

A small cloud passed directly in front of the sun, and for a moment the whole yard became gray. Ginger looked up, disappointed.

Then the cloud moved.

Sunlight burst across the yard again, brighter than before. The wet leaves glittered. Drops of water sparkled along the fence. Even the ordinary gravel beside the driveway seemed to shine.

And then Ginger saw something beyond the houses.

A rainbow.

It was faint at first, just a smudge of color against the gray clouds in the distance. Ginger hurried toward the gate for a better look. Red appeared, then orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, one color tucked neatly against the next.

She leaned against the gate and stared.

The rainbow seemed to rise straight out of the neighborhood and stretch across the enormous sky. Ginger wondered where the other end touched the ground. Maybe somewhere beyond the houses. Maybe out on the mesa. Maybe so far away that nobody could ever reach it.

She considered running after it.

For about three seconds.

Then the rain suddenly began falling harder.

Ginger squealed and raced back toward the porch, but halfway there she stopped. Why was she running away from it? She was already wet.

So she turned around and ran back into the rain.

She jumped and spun and stretched her arms toward the sky while sunlight poured over everything. Water dripped from her hair and ran down her cheeks. Her shirt stuck to her shoulders. She didn't care.

Then, almost as suddenly as it had begun, the rain stopped.

Ginger stood in the middle of the yard, waiting.

Nothing.

The sun was still shining. The little gray cloud was already moving away, trailing across the sky as though it had somewhere else to be.

Ginger looked toward the rainbow.

It was disappearing too.

The purple faded first. Then the blue. The green became pale, and soon there was only the faintest curve of red hanging in the sky.

Then that was gone.

Ginger pushed her wet hair away from her face and looked around the yard. Everything smelled fresh. Drops clung to the flowers and sparkled on the leaves. Tiny streams of water slipped between the stones.

A lizard darted from beneath a bush and stopped on a warm rock.

Ginger looked at him.

“You missed it,” she said.

The lizard blinked.

Ginger laughed and went inside to find a towel.