You Pray for Rain

It was mid-December, the longest Indian summer on record and no rain in over a year; the southwest was so parched dust hung in the air like mist. People were using every idea on hand to block out the sand that invaded every crevice in their lives. Death from silica inhalation was on the rise, infanticide from sand piling up in cribs in the middle of the night left many thirsting for answers. They prayed for rain, prayed for torrents, prayed for a single drop of water from their wells. Thirst, everything was thirst.

That is the December Mary Anne was born. Thin, weak, tiny, easily lost in her receiving blanket. Tiny hands, tiny feet, and no milk for her to drink. Her mother wept for her, with tears so dry they never touched her cheeks. The family had lost so much, including their other children, to the drought. Gritty butterfat boiled with water is all they could give her. From the government subsidies, there was nothing left. Her father threw his hat on the floor and walked out of the room, sure that the next time he would see her was to bury her lifeless body.

Day after day after long hot sandy day would pass. Afraid to become attached, they watched Mary Anne grow faster, stronger, and more cheerful despite the conditions, which prevailed. It seemed as if a miracle shone down on them, that miracle was a smiling and happy baby. 1934 came and went, and Mary Anne grew stronger. By the time 1936 rolled, it seemed as if this one miracle would survive. Then the rains came.

Torrents, sheets; as bad as the dust was, this was worse. Their neighbors watched helplessly as their farms were washed out to the river. Homes collapsed with residents sleeping inside. Mary Anne's parents feared the worst as they watched their community die in a week. Their house groaned with the mud beneath, leaving was riskier.

Late one night the house began to cave. The door was blocked, they were trapped helpless. When the morning sun rose all that was left was the roof on stilts, and the family huddled together in the rubble.