Knowledge
A lone wanderer makes his way through the harsh Afghan desert. Treading through the blazing sands creates burning scars on the boy’s feet, a remembrance of the desert’s wrath. Through the never-ending desert, there is always one thing that the wanderer can rely on, one constant throughout the ever-changing domain: the sun. The boy remembers his father’s words.
“Through the blazing hell of Afghan’s deserts, you must find solace within our friend, the sun. If you ever find yourself lost in the endless orange mirage, position the sun northeast from your right eye, and continue heading straight. There you will find what you search for.”
The wanderer heeded his father’s words and went in search of the greatest treasure any person could own. Knowledge.
“You must persevere against the desert’s wrath, no matter what slows you down,” he remembered.
The wanderer persists with nothing but an empty pot of dried water and his father’s words.
Eventually, the sun begins to set. Without the sun the wanderer will stay lost in the frigid wasteland. He desperately begins to think of what he could do.
As if God answered his prayers, the wanderer spots an oasis on the edge of his eyesight. He hurriedly makes his way to the Sanctuary, in hopes of spending the night and finally getting fresh water. The oasis is surrounded at its perimeter by a small community of palm trees. Small shrivels of bushes also surround the trees. Next to the pond lies an opening in a nearby mountain, making a small cave.
The wanderer arrives, puts down his bindle, and gulps down the refreshing water from the pond. He scoops as much water as he can get in his palms and drinks like cattle on a summer morning. After his body becomes energized, he begins to carefully observe his surroundings. He opens his bindle and takes out his notebook. The notebook his father gave him before the journey. He records every bit of information he sees: the tree’s color, length, size, the massive scale of the desert’s hills, and the texture of the water. Knowledge has always been a focal point in the boy’s life, as it has been in his father’s.
As he begins to search for a place to lie down, he spots a man in the cave nearby. He remains cautious but intrigued as he slowly approaches the man.
The man is dressed in a worn-down, orange robe. He wears bandages on his feet and hands and a blindfold on his eyes.
“Hello!” the boy exclaims.
“Ah! Is there someone there?”
The boy suddenly realizes his mistake, failing to acknowledge why the blindfold would be on the man in the first place.
“I”m sorry I didn’t mean to startle you. You’re b-“
The man cut him off. “Blind, yes. I am. And you are?”
“My name is Ranveer, I’m a traveler on a journey to find the Ancient Zenith Ruins in the deserts.”
“The ruins? You must have heard about the rumors of infinite knowledge hidden deep inside the chambers of Zenith.”
“Yes, actually my father used to always tell me stories of people trying to find the ruins but failing. I hope to become the first one to discover it.”
“That is a very ambitious statement. Are you sure you’re willing to withstand any more of the desert’s heat just to find something no one has ever found?”
“Yes, I will. Nothing’s gonna stop me. Matter of fact, what are you doing here?”
“Does that really matter? In the grand scheme of the world? I’m an old man who’s lost his ways, his people, and his own eyes, and somehow made his way into the forbidden deserts. Now I will rest here, near this oasis, until my time has come.”
“I’m- I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, I admire your passion. I long to have the same motivation as you.”
“Is there anything I could do?”
“Actually there is something. Have you ever heard of Absinthe Berries?”
“Absinthe berries? No, what is that?”
“They are one of a kind. A soft, warm, and juicy texture on the inside, while being firm with a dark purple coating on the outside. They’re typically grown in these harsh climates of the desert. I have a request for you boy, if you don’t mind, could you fetch me some of these precious berries?”
“Don’t worry, I will. I’ll try my best to find them.”
The man began to sleep inside the cave, lying down on a smooth surface of cold rock. The wanderer goes out in search of the Absinthe Berries, hoping to please the man.
