The Holder of the Rain

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. When you reach the front desk, ask to visit someone who calls himself "The Holder of Rain." Should the worker ignore you and instead remark on the dismal state of the weather lately, you are in the right place. Still taking no notice of you, they will then unlock the door you seek. .The door will be located next to the desk, though it won't be made visible to you until now. Upon opening the door, a flash of light will blind you, and you will pass out.

When you wake up, you will be seated behind the desk, in the same spot as the worker from before. The building itself will remain unchanged, though there will be nobody there and the weather will have turned into a powerful thunderstorm. You will feel a great temptation to leave the building; however, you must remain seated until your visitor arrives - you wouldn't want to offend him. This can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 10 hours, so be patient. When the time comes, a man wearing a blue three-piece suit and matching fedora will walk in through the front door, holding a black umbrella covered in water from all the rain. He will fold up his umbrella and walk toward the front desk, where you are seated. If at any point, he stops walking and looks over his shoulder you must immediately tell him, "No need to worry, sir. It's dry in here." If he turns around and starts to leave, you will be forced to follow him, and... Well, let's just say that if you weren't afraid of thunderstorms before, you will be very soon.

If, however, he stops in front of the desk and places his hands in his pockets, as if waiting for something, you might have a chance of coming out of this alive and dry. You must stand up, offer him your hand, and ask him, "What causes the rain to fall?" He will grab your hand, grin slightly, and pull your ear to his mouth, where he will whisper to you the origin of the endless storm, a violent, destructive force of nature called forth to find and kill all Seekers to prevent the gathering of the Objects. This will seem to take days, though in reality it only takes a few minutes. After he has told his story, he will turn to leave without another word. Upon reaching the door, he will open it onto a warm, sunny day. He will shrug, mutter, "Seems to have cleared up...," and toss his umbrella behind him carelessly.

Pick up this umbrella, and you will wake up in the third stall of the men's bathroom in the building you were in before, still holding the umbrella. The umbrella itself is a simple thing made of canvas with a black metal handle, but when opened, seems to pulse softly, like a heartbeat.

This umbrella is Object 556 of 2538. When the storm arrives, it should keep you dry.