Lavanya Gupta
A shiny, glistening, smooth and round sphere was rolling on the ground. It was guided by the denudation of the soil. As it curved and bent, it caught Rahul’s eye. He gently followed the little mirror ball and picked it up, nestling it carefully on his palm. He secured the precious treasure and started running.
Soon, his legs got weary and he was too tired to walk. He heard a familiar hum and knew that Razia was approaching. There was no time for casual pleasantries. Razia hurriedly stretched a corner of her headscarf and placed the treasured article on it. She enclosed it delicately with her fingers and sprang ahead.
On and on she walked, braving the blazing sun. The sight of a face she recognised well put a smile across her face. It was Akive, with a copy of the Torah tucked under his arms. The two friends exchanged a meaningful glance. Akive opened the pages of the Holy Torah and placed the cherished orb on it. Saying a silent prayer, he paced ahead. The little round object of attention rolled around the rough pages precariously but he ensured that it did not fall.
Up and down the hills Akive walked, carefully, as if it was his own heart that he was carrying on the frayed pages of the Holy book. The sound of church bells struck his ears. He saw David walking out of the church. The tired boy shouted out to his friend. The radiant sphere had now shifted to pages talking of the glory of our Lord, Christ the saviour.
The wind was blowing fast but David kept moving onwards undeterred. Finally, he reached the edge of the town. I stood there, next to the town’s water reservoir. I smiled, thanked God, Ram, Allah, and held the shiny, magnificent, iridescent drop of water.
The water supply on Earth started dwindling years ago. Today, in 2048, water on Earth is almost over. There was a time where it seemed that the world would be ravaged by wars over water. But wisdom prevailed. All of humanity worked to save water. People realised the value of every single drop. Water conservation was carried out by everyone, everywhere.
I manage the water reservoir in our town. Today, after seeing how little children realised how precious one little drop of water is, my heart is overflowing with hope. If the children are able to unite , overlook the differences in caste, colour or race, and strive to save the elixir of life, water, then the future of our planet is certainly in good hands.
I was a child once and I never thought that when I grew up I would see a world desperate for water. It was a catastrophe facing us, and we all decided to face it together. We overcame all differences and worked together as one, and thus,we won our fight.