The grass on the side of the hill glistened in the shining sun. The heat was unbearable and the rays from the sun can be seen with the naked eye. In the center of the grass was an array of flowers of all different colors. Animals nearby were  thirsty, and the lack of water left these animals walking around looking for water and trying to stay alive. Only the strongest of animals would survive the excruciating heat and the drought left them hungry and thirsty. Much like the animals, the flowers in the grass field struggled. The lack of water made the soil poor and the lack of water stopped all growth. The sun's rays baked the already dry flowers and killed most of them. The grass began to dry up and what was once a nice green hill became scattered with patches of dead and dried up grass and wilting flowers. 

          Months later, the heat was still scorching, water still scarce, and the sun's rays still blistering. For the first time in this small Arizona town, there was no water. People were dying outside in the heat but kept working because they needed money. The farms at the bottom of the grassy hill were struggling. Crops were drying up and produce was dying, leaving the people of this small town hungry. Though these brave young men and women kept farming in the heat and working all day for the little amounts of food and money they made. 

          After months of hard work a brutal storm struck all across the Midwest. Winds were high and weather conditions were terrible, though no desperately needed rain. The citizens ran inside to take cover as dust and debris was flying around outside. They huddled in the corners of their homes with the windows and doors boarded up with anything they could find. Towels, shirts, and jackets were shoved in and around doors and windows to stop any dust from coming in through the cracks and any holes in the walls were filled . The  winds continued and the clothes covering the cracks were not strong enough to stop the dust from passing through. The scared families didn’t know what to do and sat there hopeless as they were covered with dust inside of their homes. There was only so much they could do before they gave up and accepted their fate. They huddled up in groups and cried; mostly because they were scared but also because the amounts of dust in their eyes burned. And the lack of water to rinse their eyes left them filled with dust for hours. 

          One little girl from this poor, desperate town was huddled with her family. In the corner, little Rita layed crying desperately. She was hungry but her parents couldn’t feed her. She was thirsty but there was no water to drink. She wanted to go play outside with her friends but she couldn’t. Most of her friends didn’t survive the drought and famine and the ones who did were too weak to play. Rita’s family kept decreasing as the famine grew and the limited supplies were rationed out to try to help the survivors. 

          When the storm ended, the families went outside to see the damage. Houses broken down, the farm ruined, wells filled with dirt instead of water, and their morale destroyed. This once happy town became sad. Sad because all their work was wasted and they couldn’t support their families anymore. Sad because their once safe homes were now destroyed and covered with dirt on the inside and out. Sad because the livestock outside used for food would die because there was nothing to eat. Sad because this village wouldn’t survive.

            Rita was especially sad because as young as she was she understood that her friends had passed and she wouldn’t be able to see them anymore. She didn’t have anyone to play with and her family was still struggling. Her parents now had extra work to do. They had to work to make money and survive and they had to fix their broken down house. Little Rita had nobody now and became lonely. She walked up the hill and saw something. She became so excited she called everyone in the town to come see what she had discovered. 

           As the men and women of this small little town walked up the hill to get a better view, they saw it too. In the middle of the dead grass patches, wilting flowers, and dust covered ground was a flower. A singular blue flower. This flower survived the storm, survived the drought, and was still thriving. This flower gave the men and women hope of survival. They believed if the flower could survive the storm, so could they. 

          This flower helped revive this town. The men and women began to clean the town and try to save what they could. This flower gave them the motivation needed to survive. They looked forward to the days that are yet to come. They looked forward to eating dinner with their families. They looked forward to rebuilding their houses to make them safe again. 

          This flower became the most important thing in this town. Not an expensive or rare object, just a regular flower that survived a storm. But these people didn’t see it as just a flower, they viewed it as the savior of the town. Little Rita’s discovery gave the town and the people a new purpose. As the rebuilding and restorations started the plans of expansion from a little town to a major city also began. The flower was protected at all costs and statues had been built to remember the tragedy that happened and the strength of the people of the community.