FFfAW- Oasis

Here’s my entry for this week’s Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers.

Word Count: 147

This week’s photo provided by TJ Paris

He watched as the butterfly touched down on the branch, legs dancing over milky green leaves, fat with water. Salmon flowers burst into life around it, promising nectar.

The plant was a oasis, a respite in the endless sea of dirt. Sunlight pounded down mercilessly. Everything was dry and cracked, like the lips of a dehydrated prisoner.

He licked his own lips, trying to replenish the moisture they’d lost. They felt rough and lifeless, full of flaking skin.

He watched the butterfly take off again, soaring away with a flutter of translucent wings veined with black. His eyes remained fixed on it until it became only a speck in the distance, lost against the barren landscape and cloudless sky.

He broke a leaf from the plant and squeezed it for a few bitter drops. Then he walked off, holding the image of the butterfly in his mind.