For Some Water

FOR SOME WATER
Water is running out. The choice is yours.
1997, the Democratic Republic of Barbunya. The drought is entering its third year, and the government has a solution: water will now be distributed by ration cards. You're a small part of this system, stationed at a distribution checkpoint, deciding who gets water and how much.
Your desk holds a computer, a pile of paperwork, and a queue that never seems to end. Your job is straightforward: check documents, apply quotas, issue ration cards, stamp them. Simple enough — at least for the first few citizens.
THE RULES ARE CLEAR. THE PEOPLE AREN'T.
An ID that doesn't match government records, a missing document, a family asking for more than its allotted share — they all end up at your desk, and the decision is yours. If you go beyond the official quota, you'll need a valid justification. Fail to provide one, and you'll pay the price.
Following the rules is often easy. The hard part is knowing whether you're doing the right thing — especially when the person sitting across from you is thinking about their child, not the regulations.
THE ORDERS CHANGE EVERY DAY
A rule you enforce today might be enough to turn someone away tomorrow. Someone who qualified for water yesterday might be denied today simply because of their age.
You can choose to ignore the orders. But you can't ignore the consequences. The government keeps records of your actions, and at the end of the day, you may be called to account.
WHAT YOU BRING HOME
The work doesn't end when your shift does. At home, there's a wife asking how your day went and two children waiting for you to keep the little promises you've made. You spend the day deciding what others deserve, only to find yourself struggling to provide for your own family that evening. That's another kind of reckoning.
THERE'S MORE TO BARBUNYA THAN MEETS THE EYE
On television, the drought is getting worse, and ration cards are presented as the only solution. The stories told by the people at your desk sometimes support that explanation. Other times, they leave you with more questions than answers.
Some records don't add up. Some citizens may know more than they're letting on. It's up to you to uncover what this system was really built for.
The stamp is in your hand. The next citizen is waiting.