Tell Me

“I have been having these really weird thoughts lately… like, is any of this for real? Or not?”

These dreams, in both night and day

My cloth wrappings guard the majority of my face, yet sand whips at my exposed nose and eyes.  Rubbing the corner of my eye to uncake the grains from my skin, I can begin to see the horizon again -the storm is over.  The heat never ceased to bare down upon me, even during the storm, yet now that the brightness of day has reappeared I am even more aware of the burn and sting. I can’t give up. I must keep going, I must make it there.

Beests, they ran across the plain. It was all i could see for miles upon the horizon.  They stormed like wild fire upon the grass. Their only purpose was to get to the other side. One across the rapids. Two across. Three, four, five.  So magnificent, the multitudes of creatures breaching the banks.  And then they poured through in thousands. Black, brown, dust, dirt. The Wildebeest rush to a place of plenty.

Skin dark as ash, a soul as beautiful as sunrise. But this was not a sunrise; this was a sunset for a short life upon this earth.  She looked so feeble. I had seen ants with more power. Yet nothing had the ability to break my heart as much as this child. Just three weeks, that is all she had. Not three left, but three held. There was nothing left, and all I could do was hold her and be near her.  Maybe if we had the supplies, the medicine, … the food. But not here, not now. I had never felt so helpless, and all I wanted was for her to be okay.  Just breathe baby, just breathe. Even as the thought ran through my mind I knew it was too late, and she slipped away. Father had a different plan. I had to let go now.

And I awoke

Tell me, was it just a dream?