“We’re looking at temperatures in the high nineties throughout the rest of this week, and it's quite possible that we may see the temperature rise to three digits. This is the hottest summer ever recorded in the past 25 years and it doesn't seem as if the temperature will be dropping anytime soon… If these conditions persist, the drought will cause severe damage to the ecosystem and millions of lives will be affected.”

The summer had just begun and our country was facing an apocalyptic drought that held the lives of millions hostage.

The voice from the radio faded and my mind drifted. I sat by the doorway of our small home gazing at the withering trees and scorched earth in the distance that used to be a lush farmland. The air was scorching hot, each breath felt as though I was breathing fire and my organs felt like they were being slowly cooked with each passing second.

Absentmindedly, I habitually licked my lips in an attempt to moisten them but felt a heart piercing pain instead which sobered me up. My eyes grew hot but no tears came. My parched lips which resembled the ground I was looking at earlier trembled as the pain seeped deep into my heart. My attempt to moisten my lips resulted in me splitting the skin which started burning like a raging fire. Normally one would see blood after such a rupture of the skin, but I was so thirsty that even my body refused to bleed. My tongue felt like a sandpaper, dry and rough. I could distinctly hear the sound of my tongue rustling in my head with every move.

Off in the distance, the short shadows being cast by the dead trees told me that it was about midday. The sun was at its highest point in sky, mercilessly staring down at all creation and showed no pity at our woe as it continued to blaze.

“So thirsty…” I said in a cracked voice. My voice was so weak that I almost didn't recognize it. My mind drifted again, forgetting about the burning sensation on my lips as I recalled the days when water was plentiful and used it freely, I could almost taste it.

“Big brother?” A soft voice beckoned, pulling me out of my reverie. I slowly turned around and saw the silhouette of my little brother walking towards me. He looked a bit better off than I was, though thirst was clearly written across his face when he drew close. Water was scarce and our supply ran out three days ago.

“Big brother, is there any food left? I'm really hungry, my belly is starting to hurt. Do we have any water left? I'm really thirsty.”

The pleading look on my little brother's face caused a new pain to spring up within me. The burning sensation from my lips felt like nothing in comparison to the pain I felt in my heart. Those innocent eyes of his were filled with hope and longing that made me want to look away, but I couldn't.

“There's some food left in the kitchen, but it's all dry rations. I'll need to head into town to get some more water.” I replied. I knew that it would be almost impossible to get any water in town because of the scarcity, but I couldn't tell him that.

“Where's your sister?” I asked while looking behind him. It was rare to see them apart.

“She's still sleeping. I tried waking her up earlier this morning but she wouldn't get up.”

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“Hmm?” A thought crossed my mind and my face went pale. I flew to my feet in disarray and rushed towards the bedroom. The pain, thirst and hunger didn't matter anymore. The only thing I could think of was “Please God let her be OK, I can't lose her too!”. I made it to the bedroom a moment later and saw my little sister laying on the bed as quiet as a lake. It was clearly midsummer yet the room felt as cold as winter the moment I stepped inside, even the bit of sweat my body struggled to make on my forehead solidified as my eyes beheld her motionless body, there wasn't even any sign of breathing.

“Kiera!” I shouted,” Wake up!” I rushed to the bedside and shook her firmly a few times as I called out for her to wake up. After seven attempts she finally opened her eyes.

“Hmm, big brother?” She said weakly as her eyes slowly moved to close once again.

“Don't close your eyes!” I shouted frantically, for fear she wouldn't open them again. I took her lithe body into my arms and threw a towel over her head and dashed through the front door with my little brother in tow towards the city. We wanted food but we needed water more than anything else. It was at this moment I fully understood the true meaning of the words, “Water is life”.

“Water" I repeated that word over and over like a mantra. It was like I was possessed. That one word was all I could think of. It meant everything to me. It was the most valuable thing to me in the entire universe. First was water, next was the life of my younger siblings. If I didn't have the first, the latter would'nt remain much longer in this world.

We walked for almost an hour before we were able to catch a glimpse of the city walls. On a normal day that walk would've taken us about two hours.

“We're almost there.” I said aloud. My little brother was trying his best to keep up with my pace with his short legs. Surprisingly, he didn't complain, not once throughout the entire journey which made me feel a bit better. "He's trying really hard". I thought to myself.

In the past, even though our family was poor, we were happy. We lived outside the city because it was too expensive to live inside. Even the surrounding lands outside the city walls were expensive and were all owned by the rich and wealthy. That and some other factors forced the less able families like ours to build our homes farther away from the city.

Our parents ensured that all our needs were taken care and that we all were healthy and happy. Our father was a man who always had a plan and thought many moves ahead -- preparing for any situation that may arise. After our nation got caught up in a war, we managed to avoid much of it and stayed under the radar for four years thanks to his careful planning and actions. The boarders were closed, the city was packed and there was nowhere we could run to. Our father said it would be best to stay at our home and build an underground shelter in case anything happened we could hide and wait it out. He said that the city was a huge target and if we retreated into the city we would be trapped there and slaughtered like pigs if soliders invaded the city.

We planted trees around the house and smeared the walls with mud and weeds to make it look abandoned. Throughout the farm we planted trees and schrubs that would grow quickly to hide the house and make the land look as though no one has used it in years. We completed the shelter within a few months and begun stocking up on supplies. Fortunately we were farmers and most of our resourses were readily available.

On the fifth year, during the final throws of the war, our parents were out carefully harvesting crops to replenish our supply when they were caught up in the crossfire between two opposing squads. I followed the plan we rehearsed every week if such a situation were to happen. I took my little brother and sister into the shelter and hid away until I got the signal that it was safe. We waited for hours... then days, but no one came. The surface was quiet after that day. We heard no movement and no one entered the house. A thought came to me that I refused to accept. I held onto the hope that escaped or that they probably had to act as decoys to lure them away from the house to return later. But when the hours turned into days and the days turned into weeks, reality kicked in. They would've made it back already if that was the case.