17/10/2026
The Snail Who Climbed After The Rain
Everyone hides when it rains in Mbale. People run. Bikes rush. Even birds hide under roofs.
But not him.
In my photo, just after the rain, the whole world is still wet — you can see the droplets hanging on every thin green branch like small diamonds.
And right in the middle of it, upside down, holding on with his whole body, is a snail.
He carries a house that is heavier than him. Brown, patterned, shining with rain. It would be easy to stay down on the ground, safe, hidden in the grass.
But today the rain called him up.
Snails love rain. The water makes everything soft. It makes the air smell like soil. It makes the leaves easy to slide on. So while everyone else sees "bad weather," he sees his highway.
Look how he holds that thin stem. No hands, no legs — just his soft white body gripping tight, even upside down. His two eyes are stretched out, looking forward. He is not afraid to fall. He knows the weight he carries is not a burden — it's home. So wherever he goes, he is already home.
He moves so slow that you almost think he is not moving. But if you came back in one hour, he would be on another branch. In three hours, at the top.
That's his secret:
He doesn't need to be fast like that Mr D bike you photographed earlier. He just needs to not stop.
The rain will dry. The droplets will fall. But this little guy will have climbed higher than anyone who stayed down because they were scared of getting wet.
So if today feels slow for you, heavy like a shell — be the snail. Climb anyway. The rain is not stopping you. The rain is _for_ you.
