Drought.

She walked down the street that warm summer evening. The pavement rough and dry, scraped the bottom of her shoes and made a sound that echoed off of the three-flats in rows. The fading sun reflected on the windows of the abandoned cars that lined either side of the deserted street. It hadn’t rained in weeks. A cool and unexpected breeze blew, and chilled her to the bone. She had a sudden and unwelcome glimpse of winter. She stopped and so did the sound of her shoes hitting the ground. Clenching her fist, and closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath of warm air and let it fill her lungs, to remind herself that it was still summer.She forced the unwanted thought to the far edge of her memory and tried hard to focus on the path ahead. Once again her shoes hit the pavement with melodic rhythm. She pushed her hands into her pockets. She battled to keep her eyes on the street, but her gaze fell to the ground. The sky darkened and the light on the lonely and solemn street diminished.
Something caught her eye.
It faded in slowly, and then burst across the pavement until it couldn’t be ignored. Something so simple, yet so sinister it brought a small grin to her face.
Chalk.
Drawings, doodles, and sketches mapped out for the world to see. A dragonfly, a car, a dinosaur and the outline of a small body lay on the sidewalk. She pulled memories from her mind. The familiar sound of chalk scraping the ground ran through her ears. She admired the brilliance of the artists and the beauty of the make-shift mural that lay at her feet. As she walked by, taking careful steps so she wouldn’t destroy the delicate masterpiece, a cluster of poorly written words grabbed her attention.“29 days left till scool”The grin left her face and was replaced by a silent glare. She was caught off guard by the sudden and instant reappearance of unwanted thoughts. School. She shivered in the hot summer sunset. The decision had been secretly haunting her since she had made it many months ago. When she had decided not to attend school that coming fall, it was a rash choice that she refused to regret. Soon summer would be over and she would be alone for the first time. Lost, in a world of the unknown and the mysterious. Where the next year would take her, she was unsure of. She was fearful.Just as suddenly as her epiphany had begun, it came to an abrupt end.
A crash of thunder. She stared at the ominous sky. Rain falls slowly at first, and then pours down in sheets. She looked down at the sidewalk and was quickly filled with sorrow. Colorful rivers of pink, blue, orange, and green run together and wash away the pictures. The poorly written words, carried off by the relentless rain. She lifted her head, her wet hair clinging to her face and neck, slid her hands into her pockets and continued walking. The street was silent except for the falling rain and her shoes splashing through puddles.