Temperatures soar in the day and plummet at night, here in this God-forsaken desert. Stretching to the unimaginable horizon are miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles.

Don’t leave your car, they said.

Our rations are finished. Our water is finished.

I love you, we tell each other.

Mary Steer enjoys writing stories of all lengths, from fifty words to fifty thousand and more. More of her stories may be found at marysteer.com.