A hot wind blew through the trees as the Fool sat at the Empress’s feet. He looked out towards the desert and saw a figure standing there with their robe, a bisht, flapping in the wind. The Fool stood up and walked over to the silhouette.
The man stood by a well in the sand. Three staves were stuck in the ground and formed a pyramid over the well. He was staring off into the distance.
There goes everything I own, the man said to the Fool. I have to trust that it will make it across the desert and return with my payment.
The Fool scanned the horizon and saw a line of men riding camels who were heading away from them, over the dunes. The camels were packed high with bags. Beyond the camels, in the distance, a cloud was forming.
I have to trust, the man continued, that they will get to the other side of the desert before that sand storm hits and wipes them out. I have to trust that they will return with my money. I have to have faith that the buyers will still buy my goods.
The sun beat down on the man and the Fool as they watched the parade of camels get further and further away. The Fool was parched. The man saw this, and dropped a water bag on a rope into the well. Soon enough he brought up a full bag that leaked water onto the dry, sandy earth.
The Fool accepted the bag and drank greedily. It was so refreshing. So cool.
This is all I have now, the man said, watching the Fool drink. This well. Without this well, I don’t need to trust anything, for I will have nothing.
I know that everything will work out, the man said. I just have to keep believing that.
The caravan of camels disappeared over the horizon. The man stared at the empty line of sky. The Fool wondered if the man was going to watch the horizon until the caravan came back with his money. The man seemed content, despite his list of fears. He took a risk, and if everything worked out, it would pay off.
The Fool left the man standing there and went back to the Empress and her springtime Eden. The waterfall spray cooled him off as the sun dipped into the sandstorm on the horizon. He wondered if the camels had made it.