Susan Spaulding’s Sunday Photo Fiction prompt, with image courtesy of Joy Pixley.

Dreaming of arid times.

The photo prompt reminded me of arid times when water was a precious commodity in my life. I once lived in a small city, in the middle of a hot, dry and unfriendly country. How did I end up there? I needed a cheap place to stay, while I worked freelance online, and studied for my masters in a new field. My grand plan was to rough it out while I slogged for my degree. Then I would search for a job in a better city, in my related field. Water was scarce in my city. The local municipal government controlled water allocation to residents in residential estates, by choosing the timing for water to run in the main pipes feeding the houses. Property owners stored water on roof tops and backyards. They ran hoses to water their plants in gardens while the government supply of water was turned on. They rationed their stored water to endure until the next time the authorities turned on the pump to send water into their housing estates. Some residents on landed properties could afford to excavate for water by boring wells. Underground water didn’t look clean but it was drinkable after boiling. A friend in a neighboring estate had such a well. He installed a fancy pump to ramp up the experience of hand pumping for the suction machine to bring up water. It was amazing to see the gush of water. Some nights, I would dream of swimming pools, where water was abundant. It was because I saw little water in reality, that I dreamed of seeing abundant water.

Have you had dreams that were stark contrast to your waking life?