Dust to Dust

Hassan shielded his eyes, squinting across the bright quarry at something that had caught his attention.

"That's new," he murmured, stepping cautiously toward a previously non-existent crater spanning wider than the massive pile of gravel it was neighbour to.

The mid afternoon heat beat down on the back of his neck as he peered into the hole, both surprised and uneased to see that it was not only perfectly smooth, but also perfectly spherical in its concavity.

"So, not a natural formation," he spoke aloud, crouching to get a better view.

"Dare you to go in," the dare was almost completed for him when a sudden voice caused him to start violently.

"Dammit, Agnes, you scared me," he couldn't hide his smile.

"I think it's aliens," she replied, leaning over the crater.

"Certainly plausible," agreed Hassan.

"Maybe they pity us and are bringing water.”

Hassan sobered at the reminder, "Did you hear about the fires worsening in the West?"

"Almost all of BC is reduced to ash, and Alberta isn't far behind," she replied grimly.

"The North is no better, we need rain."

"I can't remember the last time I felt raindrops on my skin," Agnes turned her face toward the sky, receiving only an eyeful of harsh sunlight and a mouthful of drifting dust for her efforts.

"There are teenagers now who have never even seen rain," Hassan commented as Agnes spit out the offending dirt.

"Two more wells dried up today," she reached for his hand and helped him stand, "We'll have to dig new ones tomorrow."

"I'll help," he nodded, the pair making their way home.

"Remember at graduation when we thought we'd save the world by coming up with a way of generating water?" Agnes asked wistfully.

"That feels like so long ago."

"A lifetime," whispered Agnes.

They approached the housing complex, their apartments side by side.

"I'll meet you at the dig site tomorrow," Hassan flashed her a weary smile.

"Don't be late," winked Agnes.

Then each disappeared to join their families, gleaning what little relief they could from their meager water rations. The world was wilting, and being hydrated had become a luxury. When he curled up in bed, Hassan noted his mouth felt more dry than usual. He drifted off to sleep amid absent thoughts of staying out of the sun.

The next morning was no less hot than the previous one, and Hassan tugged his hat tighter on his head as he walked toward the dig site. The path led him past the crater, and he almost did a double take when he peered in.

"Is that...?" he furiously rubbed his eyes, crouching to get a closer look at the bottom.

There, glistening in the bright sunlight, was the most beautiful thing Hassan had ever seen: A shallow pool of water.

"Ha!" he cried gleefully, then sobered.

He stood and took one more longing look at the shimmering liquid before making for the well site. 'It could be a mirage,' he cautioned himself, 'I'll show Aggy on the way home, to be sure.'

A stifling gust blew around him as he approached the beginnings of a new well, attempting to balance walking quickly without sweating excessively; his body didn't have the water to spare.

"You're late," Agnes called to him.

"Y-yeah," he replied dazedly.

"Everything okay, Hassan?" she asked, stepping closer.

"Possibly better than okay," he grinned.

"Do you have heat stroke?" she asked worriedly, pressing the back of her hand against his forehead.

"No," he gently grasped her fingers, "But I do have something to show you on the way back. Something wonderful."

"Okay, weirdo," she shook her head affectionately, "Now get to work."

"Aye aye, cap'n," he mock saluted.

The sun was well past its zenith when they finished up, an air of discouragement permeating the atmosphere. While the new well was functional, it produced only a fraction of the water they'd been getting merely a month ago. Everyone present knew what it meant, but didn't want to admit that they could be hitting the very last dregs of water on possibly the entire planet.

"Alright, Hassan," sighed Agnes as they meandered homeward, "I could use some 'wonderful' news, what did you want to show me?"

"It's that crater," he said excitedly, leading her toward said hollow and pointing, "Look."

Agnes peered downward, rubbed her eyes just as Hassan had, and dropped to her knees.

"It's..." she trailed off, voice caught in her throat.

"Water," finished Hassan, "Even more than there was this morning."

"But... how?" tears tracked down Agnes' cheeks.

Hassan gently cupped her face and swiped them away with his thumbs, "Don't cry, Agnes," he murmured, "You'll just dehydrate yourself further."

"Thanks, Dad," she rolled her eyes.

"I think it's a gift," he smiled, ignoring the jibe, "Maybe it's aliens like you said, or time travelers, or the Earth itself, but whoever it is... I don't think I'll ever be able to thank them enough."

"How do we get to it?" she asked curiously.

"Just slide," he smirked.

He sat on the edge of the bowl, legs hanging over. Slowly, he lowered them until he gained purchase on the smooth, curved wall, bracing his hands on the ground behind him. Cautiously, he shifted his weight onto his feet. No sooner had he done so, when everything began shaking. Nothing jarring, more like a rumble; but it made him uneasy all the same.

"Hassan, maybe it's not a good idea," Agnes' disconcert matched his own.

"Just a bit further," he shuffled downward a few inches.

Immediately, the rumbling intensified, the ground vibrating beneath him. His eyes widened and he swore he saw the sand at his feet shifting in a way that scared him. Then a hefty tug under his armpits had him back up on the perimeter, and the tremors ceased.

"Did you see that?" he asked Agnes, gaze still fixed on where he'd stood.

"You're welcome," she replied sarcastically, "Yes I saw the ground moving beneath you."

Hassan started pacing, "Why wouldn't we be allowed to get to it?" he tapped his chin, "Maybe it's not a gift? Or maybe... hmmm maybe we have to wait until it's at a certain level?"

"Maybe," Agnes was unconvinced.

Hassan paused, striding over to his long-time friend and grasping her shoulders, "Thank you for saving me, Aggy."

"Don't mention it," she blushed.

"We need to keep an eye on this," he stated, already onto the next step.

"Do you really think it's a good thing?" Agnes asked skeptically, eyeing the crater with trepidation.

"It has to be," his gaze sought hers, "Surely someone wouldn't be so cruel as to taunt us like that?"

"I hope you're right," she shrugged before leading him away, "But for now we need to go and help Danie clear the dust out of the generators."

"Right," he nodded, "Then I think we should gather the council and show them the crater. Maybe put up a fence of some kind."

"I like the fence idea," nodded Agnes.

"You really are a glass half-empty kind of person, aren't you?" teased Hassan.

"Well considering the glass has been half empty, or more, for the past decade, I'd say I'm pretty on par with being realistic,” Agnes arched an eyebrow.

"Smartass," he grumbled.

Hassan stretched out his sore muscles before climbing into bed, recalling the past few hours. The council had been ecstatic about the water, though less so on seeing they couldn't get to it. They'd agreed to putting up a fence - a crude one was haphazardly erected on the spot, with plans for something sturdier during the ensuing few days - after Hassan re-demonstrated what he and Agnes had seen on their previous attempt to access the pool. The group then called a town meeting, announcing that there seemed to be a new water source available, but it was to remain out of bounds until further notice.

Over the following week, Hassan and Agnes took point on monitoring the crater and the water levels, as well as coming up with other ways of potentially reaching the liquid - all of which had, thus far, failed miserably. But despite the underlying sense of the unknown, they felt a mounting hope when the water levels only continued to increase as the days wore on.

On the fifth day, however, a new problem presented itself.

"Hassan! Hassan!"

The man in question rose from his measurements to greet his caller, "Hey Mayra, what's-"

"Please come quickly," her panicked features instilled an urgency in Hassan.

He passed his instruments to Agnes before briskly following Mayra to the food stores.

"Mayra, what is it?" he asked.

She led him to the main pantry where he saw one of the food-keepers, Ren, on the floor.

"He said he was feeling dizzy and weak, and then he just collapsed," explained Mayra.

Hassan knelt and noted Ren's breathing was shallow and somewhat irregular. They'd long run out of doctors, but with a degree in biology and several years' experience on an emergency response team, Hassan was the closest they had to it.

"Help me roll him," he instructed.

As they turned Ren, Hassan noted a few sores around the man's lips, as well as how sunken his eyes were, and the cool pallor of his skin.

"Ren?" Hassan called out, "Ren, can you hear me?"

He received a groan in response.

"Mayra, find some help. We need to get him to the infirmary," stated Hassan.

She was quick, and they soon had Ren on a bed in the community's makeshift hospital.

Hassan checked everything he could think of, and drew two conclusions from it: "Either he's severely dehydrated, or..."

"Or?" Agnes prompted.

"Or it's a virus of some kind," Hassan finished grimly.

"It's probably the dehydration," she said uncertainly.

"We still need to take precautions, to be sure. We'll establish the back room as a quarantine zone for now, but if no one else shows similar symptoms in the coming days, then I think we'll be in the clear."

"We will be," Agnes stated, unwilling to add a plague to the ever-growing list of adversity they faced.

"I hope so," Hassan said quietly, "Mayra and I will run this place, since we've already been exposed. I want you to keep me updated on the crater though."

"Of course," nodded Agnes.

"Thanks, Aggy," he said appreciatively, "Now get out and don't come back in without the proper PPE on, ya hear?"

"Yes, sir," she mock curtseyed.

Hassan shook his head in amusement, then proceeded to give Ren all the water he could spare, hoping it would be enough.

It wasn't.

The next two days saw a significant influx of new patients, none of whom improved once they began worsening. Hassan noticed it was already taking its toll on both him and Mayra as well, each feeling somewhat weak and thirsty most days, trying to spare as much water as possible for those who were ailing.

"I don't understand it," he sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Even though we're giving them fluids, they only get worse."

"It would be just like a virus to not respond to treatment," Mayra commented tiredly.

"True."

"Hassan!" he turned at the sound of Agnes' voice, "I've got the latest data for you."

He grabbed the clipboard and read over her measurements, "Wow, that high already?"

"It's incredible," she said in amazement, "In one week, it's become over a third full. Though we still have no idea where exactly the water is coming from."

"Have you been able to sample any?"

"No," she replied bitterly, "Any time we try to scoop it up, the water somehow flows right back out."

"Did you try pumping?"

"Yup, we only get air."

"That's so strange," mused Hassan, “What if we just can’t-“

"Don't jinx it," Agnes patted him on the shoulder.

"Aggy..." he tilted her chin up, "Have you been drinking enough? You look a bit dry."

"I'm fine," she waved him off.

"Well take this anyway," he pushed a small cup of water into her hand.

Agnes gestured to the unconscious people around them, "They need it more than I do."

"Please? For me?" he pouted.

"Fine," she rolled her eyes and downed the liquid, "Happy?"

"Very," he nodded.

"I'm going back to the crater," Agnes headed for the door, "I'll bring you more updates as I get them."

"You're the best," Hassan called after her.

A stark feeling of being on the cusp of grasping something rattled around his mind as he proceeded to do another round of vital sign checks. It continued to haunt him all through the next day as they gained more patients, and felt themselves grow wearier. Then something new happened.

"What the fu-oh good God!" Mayra's terrified voice drew Hassan immediately over to Ren's bed.

Ren was shaking violently, his cot rattling loudly in the otherwise silent room.

"Hold him down!" cried Hassan.

But the instant their hands connected with the convulsing man, he disintegrated into dust.

"I..." Hassan stood frozen, hands covered in what used to be one of his friends, Mayra no less stunned beside him.

"I've never heard of any virus like this before," she said softly.

Something clicked in Hassan's mind, but before he could expand on it, they were both drawn to shouts sounding from outside.

"What now?" growled Hassan as they ran toward the source: The crater.

"Can’t you people see? We're all dying! How is it that my son is dying of thirst when there's water right here?!" the familiar voice of Ren's father rose above the noise.

"Michio, calm down," Agnes had her palms held out toward him, "We're working on it."

"Not fast enough!" shouted Michio.

He hopped the fence and jumped down into the crater before anyone could stop him.

"No, it's not safe!" screamed Hassan.

Michio didn't even get a chance to respond before the ground beneath his feet liquefied and he was gone without a sound.

A stunned silence descended over those gathered, until Hassan broke it: "Everyone, go home. No one is to go anywhere near this thing until we figure out a safe way to deal with it, understood?"

He'd expected at least some half-hearted shouts, disagreements, anger, demands for answers... but everyone seemed to sag with a heavy fatigue, their eyes darkened and sunken, leaning on each other for support as they quietly trudged away.

"Everyone is affected equally," he murmured, staring at the seemingly innocent, water-filled crater.

"Is... is Ren really dying?" Agnes' quiet voice pulled him from his reverie.

He was startled by how sickly she looked, like she could barely stay standing.

"He's..." Hassan met her gaze, "He started seizing and then disintegrated into dust."

"What?" Agnes gasped, horrified, "Will that happen to all of us?"

"I don't know," he pulled her into a hug, both needing the comfort, "You should go and get some rest."

"I will if you will," she retorted tiredly.

"I can't," he sighed, "The others will likely follow Ren's lead, I need to be there. I have to figure this out."

"Then I'm coming with you," she nodded resolutely.

"If you must," he rolled his eyes, secretly glad for the company.

That night into the morning, the majority of those in the infirmary turned to dust, with ever more people falling unconscious. Hassan was staring at the crater data again, accompanied by the sound of Aggy's harsh breathing as she slept on the chair beside him. He reached over to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear when suddenly some of her earlier words hit him: "We still have no idea where exactly the water's coming from."

"That's it!" he declared loudly.

He was met with only silence, Mayra having fallen unconscious an hour prior.

"Aggy, wake up," he gently shook her shoulders, "I figured it out."

"Mmmwhaa?" she groaned, her eyelids and lips sticking together.

"The water in the crater... it's coming from us."

"Us... oh. You mean..."

"It's being pulled from our bodies."

"By who?"

He was hit with the enormity of his realization, and if he'd had any tears to spare, he would have cried, "I could be way off, but… I think it’s the Earth... healing itself at our expense."

A dry sob escaped her severely chapped lips.

"Come on, we have to get to the crater," Hassan pushed himself to his feet.

"W-why?" Agnes' head lolled forward, her exhaustion overwhelming.

"It's the only water left, we have to try."

He desperately grabbed her arms and lifted her up. When he found she couldn't even stand, he slung her over his shoulder and moved as quickly as he could toward the crater. The street was littered with fresh piles of dust, and it took everything Hassan had in him to push forward. He had no idea how to stop what was happening, or if he even could, but getting to the water was the only idea he had.

"There's the fence," he said to Agnes, receiving only silence.

He knelt down at the edge and lowered her onto the ground beside him. The crater was almost full to the brim with sparkling water, taunting him. He reached down and tried to scoop up a handful, but pulled away dry.

"No!" he screamed in anger, trying desperately to get some to Agnes' lips.

But it was to no avail, and when he turned back to her, intent on pressing a kiss to her forehead, he found only dust.

"Why?" he whispered raggedly.

He lay on his stomach and dropped his head into the water, but it edged away from every surface of his face, like his skin repelled it. As the futility of it all settled in, he snapped, and started singing in a crackling croak, "Water... water... everywherrrre, and not... a drop.... to..."