The land had always been dry and dusty, but the river had always flowed; now the sun is making the river dry and dusty too.

            When the river first grew low, many left to follow rumors of rain and greenery in the west. They promised to return when they found this land of prosperity; to lead us there along a sure path, but now the river is gone and none have returned.

            Some say they died like fools, chasing false hope. The priest says the river god punished them and us for their lack of faith, that the river would have already returned if not for them turning away from the river god.

            Others believe they have reached their promised land, and will arrive soon with water.

            I and others believe that they found the rain and greenery they sought, but that they are too afraid or selfish to risk returning across the drylands.

If we want to be saved we must not rely on the river god who has abandoned us, nor wait for those who left before us, as they have surely forgotten us. We must save ourselves and find the rumored land to the west.

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The others who wait around to be saved would not approve of our idea. They would not let us take our share of water and leave. Those who still believe in the river god will not let us leave for fear of even greater or longer punishment. Those who wait for the return of the ones who left are afraid that we will run into them on their return, and they will lead us instead of coming back to the village.

If we want to leave we must do so in secret. We must take our share of the water in the night. Even the strongest man cannot travel while carrying the heavy pots used to hold water, so we have to take animals to carry our water. Some don’t feel right about taking the animals, but they would only die if we left them in the village.

The priest has begun to talk of the old ways; of sacrifice and blood. He says that in the past when the river would run low the priest would choose a sacrifice to appease the river god. He says one sacrifice may not even be enough, as the river has never run completely dry.

The followers of the river god already speak of who will be sacrificed, while others consider joining us in our plans to leave.

In the next days the priest decided who to sacrifice. It was a weak old man who was never married. Some of the priest’s followers thought he was too weak to be a satisfying sacrifice to the river god. The priest said he was ideal because he had no family and no one would bemoan his death.

In the evening as the sun touched the horizon we all gathered to witness the sacrifice. The sacrifice, was held at the bottom of the riverbed, and as a knife was taken from the priest’s robes the river flowed again; not with water but with blood.

That night we gathered what belongings we could, we took our water on the animals, and set out to the west. Leaving the village, we followed the fallen sun to find water; the same sun that had taken our river.