It’s hot.
So hot.
Why did I enter this challenge? Cross the desert in search of a stream. Find the water, get $1,000,000.
I have been looking for 3 days. Worked my way through dunes. Burned my feet. Fell into quicksand. Miraculously got out.
Yesterday I saw a body.
I’m parched. My gourd is empty. If I could drink my sweat I would, but I’m out of that too.
Is it too late to change my mind?
At last, I see the stream in the distance. I can’t move.
It’s over.
© Sandra Zappitelli, 2024
This story was written as part of NYC Midnight's nanofiction competition. The prompts were Action/Adventure, Looking for water, and the word "change."