#fotoflash: Nothing

She sat in the dirt beside the old house.

It was empty. The house.

Just like her. Inside. Nothing.

She twisted the rusted faucet handle hoping for a drop or two of water.

Nothing. Not a single drop.

She leaned back and closed her eyes and tried to imagine a different life. One with no pain. No loss. No tears.

But she couldn’t.

Nothing came to mind.

She couldn’t remember before. Was it ever different? Did she ever have more than nothing?

She had no idea how long she sat there or if she had slept, but the sound of a door slamming startled her and she stood, not sure if she should run.

The door was on an ancient pick-up truck, as rusty as the faucet beside her. The man approaching her was as ancient as the truck.

It was too late to run and she started to shiver. Was he a threat? Would he hurt her? Or worse, call the authorities?

She watched him approach as he held out something in front of him.

He smiled. “I don’t have much, but it’s better than nothing.”

She took the water bottle from him and smiled back.

My contribution to this week’s Friday FotoFlash Challenge.