Black.
Frizzled.
Matted, dirty.
Dick needs to clean his hair. I’ve never seen it like this, except after Cam died.

Maybe papa’s dead too. No, no that doesn’t make any sense, he’s smart, he wouldn’t just abandon the village without a reason. But why then? Uncle dick told me that the whole village is gonna go mad looking for him, interrogating all his friends, family, anybody close to him to find out why he opened the doors out to hell.

Like a dying coyote, the wind howled. Tonight the dust storm had newfound anger, scratching and scraping against my face with its claws of sand; it was hard to breathe, and even more difficult to see. It acted with a lust for eyes and lungs, and probably crop. No doubt the chief would tell us it was because of papa. The crops we worked so hard on turning to dust would be because of papa, the breathing problems would be because of papa, and so would the deaths.

They’re going to kill me, they’re going to leave me to the crows in the town center. They’ll interrogate me, throw rocks at me until I confess to something I’ve never done and then, they’re going to hang me.

I gotta get out of here.

A curious voice called out, “Judy?”

Why is he here?

A figure entered the room. It was about 6 feet in length with olive skin and a black tuft of hair at its crown. I recognized it immediately, even before I saw him, it was Harmon.

“Hey jud-,” the voice turned silent. Harmon peered across the floor, the makeshift bag and clothes sprawled across it made my future pretty apparent, I was leaving.

He moved his perplexed eyes back to mine.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m leaving.”

“Why?” There was no accusation in his tone, only confusion with a hint of hurt.

I walked across the room and embraced him. For a good minute, we silently held each other in my dry, dark, room.

“Don’t go, please,” he begged with a crack in his voice.

“I have to go Harmon; they’re going to spread lies about me, they’re going to say terrible made-up things and the entire village will eat it up. Then they’ll kill me. I promise you, I promise, I’ll see you again.”

I wish Harmon didn’t decide to visit tonight, looking at me with tears streaking down his dust-covered cheeks. I wish he didn’t torture me with that adorable lil’ smile of his, the one that’s usually so good at reassuring me that everything will be alright.

I wish papa didn’t leave, I wish Dick and Cam and Papa and everyone else’s story worked out just a little bit different.

But they didn’t.

“I love you, Harmon,” tears welling up in my eyes, “but I have to go. I’m not dead yet, aye?”

He smiled.
And then it vanished.

“Can’t I come with you?” He pleaded, “I’m strong, I can take care of myself, I-I won’t weigh you down-”

I looked into his eyes one more time, “I have to go alone Harmon, it doesn’t make sense now but it will soon; I’ll see you again.”

I walked out and that was that.