It is the year 2083.

Today is Sunday.

And today is shower day.

My mother is in the kitchen preparing breakfast when she calls:

“Have fun showering, sweetheart!”

A few minutes later, I am standing inside our shower cabin.

Steam rises around me.

The water hisses softly.

I start humming a song.

“Raindrops keep falling on my head ...”

My father always sings that song when he showers too.

I love standing in the warm steam.

I love rubbing my skin with my bath glove.

I love the feeling of being completely clean and warm.

For a moment, I close my eyes and enjoy the water.

Then I hear my mother calling:

“Breakfast is ready, sweetheart!”

“Coming, Mum!” I shout back.

What a pity.

I would happily stay a little longer.

I dry myself quickly.

My skin feels soft and warm.

I love that feeling after the Sunday shower.

At the breakfast table sit my mother, my father, and my older sister Dora.

She is already twelve.

There is fresh bread, vegetable spread, homemade pear jam, and a large jug filled with clear drinking water.

A few weeks ago, we picked the pears ourselves at a farm near the edge of the city.

While spreading jam on his bread, my father smiles.

“I have an idea,” he says.

Immediately, Dora and I look up.

“How about spending the day at the city swimming pool?”

Everyone starts smiling.

Even though it is already October, the pool is still open.

And with twenty-eight degrees outside, a swim sounds perfect.

Of course, we all agree.

We live in Neustadt.

The pool is too far away to walk, so we take the tram.

Everybody carries something.

Blankets.

A basket with swimming things.

A basket with fruit and water.

The tram glides through the city.

When we cross the Elbe, I look out of the window.

As usual, the riverbed is mostly dry.

Only a few narrow channels of water sparkle in the sunlight.

The wide river that once flowed here exists mostly in old photographs now.

It looks a little strange.

But for me, it has always looked this way.

Forty-five minutes later, we are sitting on the grass at the swimming pool.

Luckily, we even find a place near the sand.

The pool is crowded.

Everybody had the same idea today.

Children are laughing.

People are swimming.

People are talking.

It is a wonderful Sunday.

Near the entrance hangs a small sign.

I walk past it without really looking.

I have seen it my whole life.

The sign simply says:

Please enjoy the water. Every drop matters.

I run toward the pool.

The water shines blue in the afternoon sun.

Behind me, my family is unpacking the baskets.

Ahead of me, friends are already jumping into the water.

I take a deep breath and smile.

Then I run as fast as I can.

And jump.

For a moment, I am surrounded by nothing but cool water.

And it feels wonderful.