Service

“And his spirit shall go to the Upper World!”
Everyone threw their heads up to the sky.

“Even though his body remains on Earth!”
All heads went to their feet.

“He shall rise with the sun!”
Heads to the east.

“And set with the moon!”
Heads to the west.

Another dead. That makes 15 now. Fifteen people dead. Gone. All because of this damn drought. I stroked my frail hair. Dry. I felt the ground with my bare feet. Dry. I glanced at the once flowing river. Dry! Dry! Dry! Everything! Everyone! Dry! No water to be seen! The only moisture we produced was our sweat. If sweat was meant to cool our bodies why does it make us feel hotter?! Like a second skin trapping the burning within us?!

I tried swallowing my spit. Water. I needed my cup for the day. I wanted to gulp it down and have more. But everyone only got one cup a day, barley full. If anyone stole their cup, family member or not, they would get sent to prison. If hey spilled or wasted the water, accident or not, they would be executed.

Jason better keep his paws off mine.

Night

“The night is quiet,” I told my Grandmother.
She didn’t respond. She never did.

“The crickets hardly come out anymore.”
Silence.

“I wonder where they all went.”
At that she faced me. Her skin, turning red from being scorched by the merciless sun, her hair falling out faster, and her eyes...blue as the ocean. Or so I’ve heard. I’ve never really seen the ocean before. But people say that they look just like it. I wanted to look away, but she forced me to look at them.

“The only place they went was the Upper World. There’s are none out because there are none to come out, child.”

“T-they d-died?” I stuttered.

“Well what else would they do? We’ve harbored all the remaining water for ourselves. Thinking we’re the most important creature in the world.”

Staring at her I replied, “W-we aren’t?”
My Grandmother scoffed and turned back to face our dirt lawn.

“Bah. You and your parent’s generation. You all need to learn how to give; not receive. This is a punishment I tell you. If we keep it up no other living thing will be around. Just us to talk to. And then? We’ll get bored of each other. Start torturing and killing. More than we already do, mind you.”

Slowly she stood up. I handed her, her cane and she snatched it from my hand giving me a scowl.

“You’ll see, child,” she muttered passing by me to the door. “I bet it’ll start sooner than you think.

Havoc

My Grandmother was right The next day Miller Ash snapped. Rumor has it that he grabbed his gun (which is illegal to have in the first place) and shot his wife, two kids, and drank all their water. Before the authorities of our town could do anything he shot him self with a note attached.
funeral and i’ll hex you.


Well no one did give Miller Ash a funeral. Anyone that thought we should didn’t mention it to anyone. Five men, including my Father and brother, carried Ash’s body out to the deep part of the desert.

“Barley dug a foot,” Jackson said when they came back. “The dirt was too dry. Most of it blew away anyway.”

That image haunted my mind for the rest of the day. Miller Ash’s body lying there a hole through his head, some sand on, some sand off. The flies and maggots eating away at the crusted blood...

That night I wanted to talk to Grandma. To tell her she was right, but I couldn’t find her. She was missing. That strange thing? So was one of our two horses.
Nineteen dead.

Mud

Mud was the first word that left my father’s mouth the next morning.

“There’s an ocean three days walk down east. If I can bring some mud back we can drain the water out of it and drink that.”
Mother wasn’t convinced. Frankly, neither was I.

“Klaus, how will you keep the mud wet if it is a three days walk?”

“Roger Philips and I got that covered.”
I stared at him. “How will you find your way?”

“Simple,” he replied putting a bit of chicken in his mouth. I could tell he was savoring it. We only had a few chickens left. Grandmother let them all lose when she left. “I’ll follow the sun.”
Mother, Jason, and I looked at each other.

“Do you want water or not?!” He was getting mad now that we didn’t support him. Why would we? It’s impossible!

“We do, Klaus, but you’ll be one for three days. Who will look after-“

“Why Jason of course!”
Jason stared at him a bit of meat hanging from his open mouth.

“What?”

“You’ll look after the house. You’re sixteen going on seventeen. Nearly a man. It’ll be good to have some experience before you’re a husband.”

He choked on his food and I laughed silently, amused at the idea of Jason being a father of little Jasons.

“Yes, Father,” he replied gloomily.

Signs

After Father left, my family got signs. Signs of death.

Jason was looking pale. More pale than usual. Mother and I began to get concerned. He barley stood up and drank any of his water. All his did was lie around. At first I thought it was a joke so I tried to hit him with his pillow. That was when I realized he wasn’t faking.

When he didn’t feel better by the next day we went to see the “doctor”. And I use that term very loosely. The only training he’s had was bringing the attention to our town that it hasn’t rain in 2 months which is strange weather for us. Apparently others didn’t notice it so they named him “Doctor of the Sky” which shortened to “doctor”. He’s been living off that title since the drought.
Idiots.
Leaving Jason to sleep we saw him and explained what has happened.

“Yes...” he said thoughtfully stroking his chin. “Well it’s very quite simple you see. All you must do its find some red berries, doesn’t matter what kind so long as they’re red, and smear them along his forehead. While chanting ‘heal’ three times and wait. He should be better the next day.”
Mother and I exchanged glances.
We left Doctor Mason’s.

Stealing

The gods are stealing Jason. Everyday they’re taking more and more of him away from Mother and I.

I spend most of my days sitting by his bed holding his hand while Mother goes to pray. I pray no more. What has praying done for us? What have the Gods done for us that we should pray?! Nothing, but drought, heat, and death. Now only 30 people are living in our small town. And its growing smaller and smaller every minute.

We now only eat grain. There is nothing else. Grain does not fill us, or prevent our thirst. It increases it. Making it a monster inside us always demanding more. Yesterday I drank my whole glass of water in one morning. Wanting more I took a sip from Jason’s. I tell no one even though I know no one will listen.

I’ve stated that I have given up on praying. I have not seized to hope.

New

I want to start a new belief. A new way of thinking. No one controls us. Not a being anyway. Fate. Fate guides our lives and fate always has a reason.

“You’re insane,” Alex said. Alex has been my only friend since the drought. “How could ‘fate’ control us?”

“Not control us, Alex. Guide us. Fate would always have some sort of reason for everything that happens. Bad or good.”
He glared at me.

“Then what is the reason for all of this?” He pointed to all of the graves. All of the victims who could not survive. I listened to my Grandmother’s words. Avoiding his stare I responded; “It’s punishment. We have been selfish and need to tun our ways around.”

“And you think fate has caused this?”
I glared back at him.
“Yes.”

Lost

My father’s plans have not gone so smoothly. It’s been four days. He has not returned. Neither has Roger Phillips. Mother waits for him on the porch. Day in day out not saying a word. She sits in Grandmother’s old chair and grows older.

Jason barley speaks either. He’s too weak. Sometimes I ramble on about how it rained the day before, pretending that our old life was back.

Everyone in our town has now lost someone from the drought.

Just to get away from the town I gathered some red berries and smeared them onto Jackson’s forehead. I did the ritual. The next day nothing happened. Damn Mason.

Taunting

Clouds. They rolled in yesterday night when no one could see them come. They covered the sun, letting none of its rays touch our world.

“Clouds!”

“Cover!”

“Relief!”

“Rain!”
All over the town people were rejoicing spending the whole day laying on the ground waiting for the rain. But it was all in vain.

I did not wait outside. I stayed in knowing the Gods would not be so kind. Jason stirred for the first time in days.

“What’s going on?”
I put a hand on his head wetting his cloth.

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

Help

Today our town sent for help. Ten more people left to go search for outside civilizations. Our water is close to nothing.

Twenty people now remain. Most still lay on the ground staring up at the sky even though the clouds are long gone. Their hope still lingers. Mother continues to sit. She doesn’t eat. She doesn’t sleep. When I bring her, her water she ignores it and talks to the sky about how her and Father met. I leave her.

Jason moans during the night. It’s unbearable. I feel like finishing him off, but I don’t want to upset fate.

Confession

Jason told me something today. Something that I really wish I didn’t hear.

“Hey...” he whispered. His throat was hoarse. I went over to him brining a cup of water with me. But when I tried to give it to him he shook his head weakly. “I need to tell you something. Before I go...”
Looking at him confused I replied, “Go? Where?”
He gave me a pointed look. “I think you know.” Thinking I nodded in understanding. I fought not to form tears as I sat cross-legged in front of his bed.

“What I’m about to tell you...you must tell everyone else before they do my ceremony. If you don’t, then there will never be any rain here again. Do you hear me?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now...I am the reason for this drought.”

“Jason-” I started rolling my eyes.

“No! I’m serious. So just listen.”

So I listened. Listened to how Jason happened upon a grave. A small one, but a grave none the less. Thinking it would be a good prank he returned a few hours later with a shovel. He planned to dig up the skeleton and put it near one of his friend’s houses to scare him. It didn’t go as well. Instead when he dug it up he found no skeleton, but small scrolls of paper. Annoyed he threw the shovel on the ground and scooped up the paper. And threw them in the nearest stream destroying all of them.

At our next Gathering one of the heads claimed that the gods have been stern with us. I remember this day. Everyone was confused with what he meant.

Then he said Mason noticed it hasn’t rained yet in 3 months. It was the rainiest season. Some people began to panic, but most including my family, thought nothing of it. Then another head raised the remains of the scrolls.

“These scrolls,” he said, “we’re our oldest prayers to the gods. In these is mentioned that as long as we honor the sacred writings we shall have the means to survive. Now they are demolished. The gods no longer have to hold their part of the deal.”

Everyone panicked.

Stepping outside on the porch I saw my mother again. She, as usual, was staring into nothing. Or maybe it was something. Maybe she saw memories of her life. Happy ones. Like Father’s birthdays, Jason and our births, maybe even her marriage. Or, maybe she saw happy shadows that are to never come. Like Father coming home, or water once again roaming throughout the ground. Or maybe she saw darkness. Whatever she was witnessing she smiled sightly then closed her eyes. I gently took her hand and held it.

“Goodbye, Mother.”


Justice

Jason died. It happened this morning. I went to give him water, which I knew he wouldn’t drink, but I still like him to have it there. When I called his name, his eyes didn’t move. Nor his arms. Or his legs. When I shed light on his face I saw the tear marks streaking down his cheeks. He never cried. I knew he was gone.

For the day and night I stared at his body from afar. Leaning against the wall, I monitored my dead brother’s body as if death would come back to claim the carcass. When the next day came I had not slept the night before. My eyes were weary, but I refused to sleep. A light knock came on the door. It was Alex. He poked in shedding the sun’s hideous light. His eyes followed my stare to Jason. He hung his head and left without a word.

Rain

Jason’s funeral was a mockery. His body was joined with all the gone. Many tired strangers also attended the service, soon to join the city in the underground. I did not listen to the preacher. He didn’t know Jason. He didn’t know my brother. He shouldn’t be allowed to stand over his grave and speak as if he was his friend.

Then the gods laughed at me.

Clouds. They rolled in quickly and were thick and grey. They promised protection from the sun. They promised rain. Even though most of the people looked up the preacher continued his speech. Then came the water.

Gallons fell from the sky and plummeted to the ground making the dirt dance. People were too stunned to say anything. Along with the thunder I screamed.



“And his spirit shall go to the Upper World!”
Everyone threw their heads up to the sky.

“Even though his body remains on Earth!”
All heads went to their feet.

“He shall rise with the sun!”
Heads to the east.

“And set with the moon!”
Heads to the west.


As you can tell, I did not carry out Jason’s final wish. It is not because I was ashamed to admit that my brother caused this whole mess. No. More like I knew that his death would be enough to satisfy fate to give back rain. It is still a secret I keep to this day. I feel like it’s something that no one should know about. In a way I feel like he is better off for it. This way no one will blame him. Even if I told them he realized his wrong doings, most people would just concentrate on the bad. That’s the way human beings work. Most of us anyways. We focus on the bad in people rather than the good. Maybe because it is easier to see the dark instead of the light. Maybe because when you see light you tend to shield your eyes...