Water

• Anya Khatsernov, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2019

The cold, soothing water cascaded down my bruised fingers. For me as a child, living in
Malawi, that’s a myth, a legend, maybe even a miracle. The thought of having water is a
dream come true!
Since the beginning, my family was poor. Not just from money, but with faith, hope and
heart. No water was a thought that was always attached to my soul, but wishing for it to
go away was just like finding a corner in a circle.
Our penniless village hasn’t seen water for weeks. We own a nearby stream and its our
only life source. Without it, my village would be erased from society. It only takes one
month to wipe out a complete village. It’s that easy. Malawi has faced extreme difficulties
with earthquakes and most of all, heat waves. Hundreds of people die from these
disasters and we can’t do anything about it. Loved ones fair well and friends clasp.
And today was no different...
The heat wave just begun. Walking to the stream was like walking to a doorway to the
afterlife which was not very appealing. Cracked ground, the air was motionless, dried up
plants as if they got all the water sucked out of them through a vacuum, fried bugs in the
heat and.. THE STREAM WAS EMPTY. Not a drop of water left. As the days went by it got
worse. I walked back to the village with pain in my heart and sorrow leaking out of my
forehead. Seeing all the people kneel and cry for their crops and their kids. Will they ever
see water again?
That night I didn’t sleep, packing my bag for the long day ahead. I have to go and find
water for my village. Climbing the highest mountains or swimming the deepest seas, no
adventure was too hard for me. So I set out a route for the bushes and branches coming
my way.
I take my first step into the darkness of the woods and begin scattering through the
Forest trees. For hours and hours, days and days there is still no sight of water. No
sleeping, eating or dinking. No hope fills up my heart which makes me sob down to the
ground. I lay on my back and make a little wish for my village to survive. I close my eyes
and slowly drift into a deep, deep sleep. Dreams surrounding me as I speak no more. No
water has been found...
As the morning rises, birds start tweeting and the sun shines bright. I didn’t move a
single bit, back on ground, arms out and feet crossed.
Then suddenly, I felt the slightest, tiniest drop of water splash down on my palm. I woke
up in joy and relief. Then my whole arm was completely wet. My wish came true. I rushed
to the village as fast as I could and seeing the stream fill up with water. It was finally
raining. This was a dream come true!