Water burst from the pipes and rushes down the channels. Children shriek with glee, while the adults chatter and gather up their containers.
She's glad to see them all so happy. Glad to be the one who gets to open the gates each morning. But she's also the one who sees that each day, the reservoir depletes. Sun burns all the same, but the days get hotter, and the rains less frequent.
And she knows that, one day, she will be the one to tell them that there is nothing left.
Paddy Dobson
5th December 2022