The Waterbearer Digital Fantasy Art
Written by Catherine MLP Pagano By Doris Seyboldcopyright Catherine MLP Pagano copyright, Doris Seybold
June 18, 2016 June 19, 2016
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The Waterbearer
Olivia stood in the middle of this desert plain; that was once known as Colorado Springs. She had driven over 100 miles to get here. She wanted to see the drought ridden land for herself. The news was bad everywhere. No water to be found. Lakes and ponds all dried up. Water wells no longer filled with water. The Earth's temperatures were rising. All the water was drying up. Valleys, towns, recreation areas; everything had been affected by the continuous drought that never seemed to end. The price of water had skyrocketed. The individuals and companies that owned all the deep well water supplies around the world had gouged the prices steadily for the last several years. Now water was worth more than gold. Olivia could not believe the devastation in front of her own eyes. What once was a lush green landscape was nothing more than desert now. She sighed as she looked to the horizon. Desert as far as she could see.
All of a sudden, a single drop of water splattered on a rock just a foot in front of her. She walked over to the rock for a closer look. Perhaps she was just seeing things in this oppressive heat. She picked up the rock and smelled it, then licked it. Yes, this was definitely water; but where did it come from? There were no plants or animals for miles around. There were no clouds in the sky. How could this be?
In the blink of an eye, a shadow passed over Olivia's head. She quickly looked up, thinking perhaps it was a bird that she had missed before. Nothing was in the sky or flying around. Her mind began to wander to years ago when water was plentiful and would rush in torrents down rivers and into lakes. Waterfalls would cascade off the mountains, so refreshing and cool. Now, there was no water. There was nothing but this cracked earth and dust. Dry desert dust was everywhere and when the winds would blow the dust would get into everything everywhere. There was no blocking it out. Everything had the taste of dust too. So where did that drop of water come from?
Whoosh. There was a quick cool breeze on Olivia's neck. The hairs on the back of her neck and arms all stood on end. There was no breeze today and if there was one, it would not be cool She wondered what was going on. As she put her hand up to cover her eyes from the harsh sunlight a huge shadow engulfed her own from behind her. She stood frozen in spot. She could not move. All she could think was that this was some kind of enormous creature, risen up from the desert floor to make a noontime meal of her. But then something strange happened. She heard her name being called out, but not by a voice, but a voice in her head. The voice told her to turn around. Olivia took a big gulp of air, squared her shoulders and turned to face her fate.
Before her stood the most stunning, beautiful, shimmering being of energy imaginable.
Her mind was in shock and awe. No words came out. Her eyes were opened wide in disbelief. What was going on? This beautiful being then spoke to Olivia with these words..."Olivia you will become The Waterbearer. Your tears shall replenish this land and bring back the waters to nourish the plants, the animals and the land". It only took Olivia a few seconds to process this statement. A quizzical look came over her face and she asked "but what about the people? Shall their thirst and parched suffering be sated too?" The being replied "No Waterbearer. The people shall not survive". Now becoming visibly upset, Olivia asked why, "Why must the people continue to suffer and die?" This is what the being told her...
"Mankind was given the ability and knowledge to be stewards of the Earth. Yet look at this paradise now. It is parched, cracked and dried up. Mankind has failed miserably. They do not deserve to live. They squabble over water rights, they horde and dispense based on greed. They are corrupt in their sharing." The being paused and in that moment a single drop of water fell down to the ground and splashed on a rock. Again, it was just one drop. Olivia looked up, still with wide eyes, filled with wonder and asked "Why do you need me? Why do you not replenish the water yourself?" The being made a sound like a huge sigh and proceeded to tell Olivia that water is what holds this being's self together. Without this precious water, it too would die. It is not capable of shedding continuous tears as it would lose all its' life and essence in doing so. No, this being was not willing to sacrifice itself to mankind again. The two drops of water already shed had taken a great toll on the being. Its' brilliance had already started to dim a little. The first drop was to get Olivia's attention. The second drop was a gift for the purpose of understanding. Even through her amazement, Olivia thought enough to ask how her own tears could possibly create the volume of water that would be needed to affect any kind of change. This was an impossible task. The being reached out and gently lifted both of Olivia's hands. Panic struck Olivia's face as a sudden change began to take place all over her body. She could not move, she could not speak; an anguished look was frozen on her face, she never to to ask "why me?"
The being then said "You need not travel anywhere to spread your tears...here, in this very spot; you shall remain for all time. You will be aware of everything going on around you. You will not actually be living, but neither will you ever die. You will be as a statue, a fountain, forever crying and bringing forth the life saving waters for all that I wish to save, except for the people. Your tears of water shall be as poison to the people. They will never know. They will collect, sell, horde, distribute and drink greedily of your water. Their fate has already been decided". Olivia was solid rock now. Her arms were reaching out as if to warn, don't come near. Her face had that horrified look that wanted to say; don't drink this water. But of course she could say nothing. The being of energy nodded in satisfaction and simply said "Farewell child, your transformation is now complete and mankind's fate is sealed". The being of energy disappeared and Olivia began to cry.
The End.
