A collection of short scenes and stories

Hot, Dry Days

The breeze hit his face, warm and thick. The hot air made his throat feel dry. It'd been a long day, a hot, dry day. The dust blew and for every step he took it stirred. A trail of dry ground and small rocks kicking up under his heels. The sun still set high in the sky, it seemed that time stood still, not a cloud could be seen, the sky with a slight tint of warm red. His hands felt raw, his skin and muscles aching.

 The drought had not been taken well by his family, they were practically fighting to stay afloat of business and their own survival. The days only seemed to get hotter and hotter, the sun piercing his skin but by the second week, the slight burns had become more bearable. He was hoping to go home, to have a cold shower and glass of water for the fridge but he knew that water was short and showers had to be scheduled. At least he could change into a clean pair of shorts and top, then lie on his bed, in his ceiling fan-cooled room, so basically not much cooler then it was outside. 

They were doing all they could to escape the heat, sometimes to no success, this being most of the time and other times managing to lower the temperature inside a couple of degrees. As he made his way to the house, his steps even and measured, all he could think of was the little girl he had met from another town and how her family and neighbours had it worse. His area was considered lucky to have been given support from the local town, not much at that, but enough to get by. After all, the town relied on the local farms to supply food and produce. Prices for food have been raised too since it was starting to become harder to come across fresh and hearthy crops. 

He looked up the bright sunlight in his eyes, to the small building which could be rarely considered, but called his home. Thinking of all that, and how the little girl's area had none of those, none of the luxuries that were being offered to his area, he wondered. He wondered how she was. He hoped she was doing well, and her family too. He wondered if he'd ever see her again. She seemed so sweet, so bright for what was happening around her. Re-imagining her smile brought one upon his face, it was contagious. He wanted to help, to help them, to help keep that smile on her face. But how? What could he, the single child of a small family of farmers do? 

He thought for a while but nothing of note came to mind. By this time, the sun was starting to rub against the top of his scalp, entering and interrupting his thoughts. So he opened the door to the small building, stepping inside after a long, hot, dry and thoughtful day.