Finally, Locha saw the oasis. Still small from the summer heat stealing it's water called the woman from the distance. Tongue lolling, she started at an easy lope in the direction of the palms. It was then the started feeling dizzy. Stumbling, the woman closed her blue eyes, a thumping pain beginning in the middle of her forehead. The unstable ground started to slip, forcing her to carry on. As she blinked, the world started to spin, the colour of the world around her suddenly too vivid and the noises to piercing to her ears. Blindly now, she stumbled onwards. What should have been a few minutes journey felt as if it were stretching for hours.
Finally, the shade of the palms shielded her from the sun, which had mysteriously doubled in the indigo sky. Her body felt as heavy as lead and the fogginess that had crept over her mind left no room for confusion. Locha lurched towards the water, but before she could take her third step, a raking cough left her breathless and she collapsed, just shy of the tree's shade.
