A weary traveler came upon a spring in the desert. With aching limbs and a dry throat, he dismounted his camel and crawled towards the water. There, he encountered a woman. She appeared old and wise, yet radiated a serene beauty. Turning to face the traveler, the woman beckoned.
“Come, weary traveler.” She said, “Drink, that you may thirst no more.”
The traveler summoned the last of his strength to reach the water, where he drank deeply. Drained from the effort, he collapsed in the hot sun, panting and gasping for relief. The woman patiently stood over him, and directed him to a shady cave.
“Lay down your head and rest.” She said, “For I am the Earth, and I give freely to all in need.”
The traveler made his way to the cave and slept a deep, peaceful sleep. The next day, the woman was gone. In no hurry to resume his journey, the traveler spent the morning swimming in the spring, and drinking its refreshing water. That same evening, a caravan of merchants stopped by the spring. The traveler, now low on food rations, approached them for help. Taking pity on the worn man, they offered him some food, and struck up a conversation.
“We are here to establish a new trade route through the desert.” Said the head merchant. “Soon, many people will come through here. You do not need to wait for them, though. We will take you to the next city, where there will be plenty of opportunities for you.”
The traveler scratched his head, deep in thought. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration dawned upon him.
“Friends, we could go to the city. I could earn my keep through labor, and you could provide much-needed wares to the people. There is, however, a greater opportunity before us.” Said the traveler.
The merchants, who were all shrewd and eager businessmen, leaned in close, listening intently.
“This spring is surely the only source of water in the desert.” Declared the traveler. “If, as you say, many people will come through here, they will need water to drink, and a place to sleep.”
“What are you suggesting?” Asked one of the merchants.
“I am suggesting that we claim this place as our own.” Said the traveler. “The bounty of nature, and the importance of this location, will make us rich.”
After some excited murmuring among the group, the head merchant departed alone to the city. He returned a few weeks later, with title deeds to the desert location. The traveler was given ownership of the spring, and each of the merchants were each given vast tracts of the land surrounding it. The sale had been cheap, for the desert was not well traversed in those days.
Over the next few months, a slow but steady stream of tradesmen and adventurers passed by the spring. The traveler, and his merchant friends, collected a handsome revenue from these passer-by. Some, however, saw fit to walk to the spring’s edge and simply drink the water, without paying for it. Unable to keep an eye out for such trespassers all the time, the traveler and his friends used their newfound revenues to construct a large fence around the spring, barring entry to anyone who had not yet paid.
By the next year, a small settlement had sprung up around the spring. The wall around it was now tall and imposing, and the traveler, who had become a somewhat rich man, had built a house by the water’s edge. People were no longer permitted to enter the area. Now, the water was collected in bottles and jars, and sold in the settlement’s market. The settlers paid rent to the traveler and his friends, for they were the owners of the land.
In five years, the small settlement had grown into a modest town. By this point, the traveler was quite rich. With rent and water sales, he had no need to work, opting to outsource the bottling and sale of water, and the management of his properties, to others. He spent his days swimming in the spring, walking around the town, and relaxing in his parlor.
One day, the traveler was approached by one of his servants while resting. The servant offered him a delicious pie, courtesy of a new chef who had moved into town. Delighted, the traveler devoured a slice.
“Delicious!” He exclaimed. “Tell me, what is becoming of our beloved town?”
“It is prospering.” Said the servant. “The people are hard at work making it a great place to live. I see workers constructing buildings, teachers teaching, merchants selling, and bakers baking, among many others.”
“Well, tell this baker to keep on baking.” Laughed the traveler.
“There is one thing.” Muttered the servant, his expression growing troubled.
“What is it?” Asked the traveler.
“It’s my family. As the town has grown, rent has become a burden on us. If it grows any more, I fear we will have to leave. Could you be persuaded to lower your rates?” Asked the servant.
“Nonsense, my boy.” Scowled the traveler, “If the town is as busy as you say, there is plenty of work to go around.”
Saddened, the servant left. After he had departed, the traveler sighed, dipping his finger in his pie. He licked it off, smiled, and turned over on his bed.
After a decade had passed, the small town had become a bustling city. The traveler’s home was now a palace, its thick walls encircling the spring, majestic and imposing. Fantastic monuments and impressive buildings surrounded it. Yet, surrounding these, were decaying ghettos and poor houses. A sizable population of homeless people had also begun to wander the streets, though they did bother the traveler, isolated as he was in his extravagant home.
The traveler, reminiscing on old times, suddenly found himself craving a pie. He called for his new personal servant, asking him to find the baker from so many years ago. The servant returned after a few hours, claiming that the baker was nowhere to be found.
“What happened to him?” Asked the traveler. “His food was so delicious.”
The servant stood silent, scratching his head nervously.
“Speak, boy!” Cried the traveler.
“He left town. Said between the rents for his shop and his home, it was too expensive.” Muttered the servant.
Disheartened by this news, the traveler decided to take a walk through the city. Spurred by a sudden sense of adventure, he wandered further than he had in years, to the worn-down outskirts of the city. His pace slowed, as he noted the dilapidated conditions around him. Growing wary, he turned around had began heading home. Just as he did so, he tripped over a homeless man in tattered rags, who had laid down on the sidewalk behind him.
“Get off the sidewalk!” Shouted the traveler, angrily brushing himself off.
“I am terribly sorry, sir.” Rasped the homeless man. “I am so thirsty, and cannot afford water.”
“I’m not carrying any on me, bye.” Said the traveler, dismissively.
“Wait! It is so terribly hot out here. Perhaps you could offer me a place to rest, at least?” Asked the homeless man, feebly grabbing the traveler’s robes.
“Find one yourself.” Spat the traveler, looking away in disgust.
When the traveler looked back, the homeless man was gone. Shrugging his shoulders, he made the journey home. Upon arriving, he grabbed a bowl, dipping it in the spring, and taking a long, cool sip from it. Suddenly, the traveler gagged, and threw down the bowl in disgust. The water tasted vile, and burned his throat. Blaming the bowl, the traveler stooped to drink from the spring directly. Again, bitterness filled his mouth, and his throat was racked with searing pain.
Disturbed, the traveler took a step towards his bed, when he suddenly noticed a viper slithering under him. He jumped away, only to find that he had landed directly in an ant’s nest. Screaming and brushing off the stinging ants, he ran inside. To his horror, the floor was crawling with rats, snakes, and insects. Making his way past them, he climbed to the second floor of his home, and into his bed. The vermin soon followed him upstairs, with ghastly chittering, hissing, and squeaking. Terrified, the traveler cowered in his bed, as a blood moon shone red outside.
Outlined by the crimson moon was a figure, old yet very familiar. She approached the traveler with an eerie grace, paying no heed to the creatures swarming the floor. In the dim candlelight of the room, her face took on a terrifying appearance. Her wizened face was greatly exaggerated by the lighting, and her furious eyes reflected the candles’ dancing flames.
When she was near enough that the traveler could make out her features, his stomach sank. This was the spirit he had encountered so long ago, who had offered him water, and a place to stay. The traveler opened his mouth to speak, but the spirit hushed him with such force that he flew back upon his bed in fright.
“You have taken my bounty, and used it to enrich only yourself.” She hissed. “Now, I offer you only poison, that this city may drink. Now, you shall find no rest on these grounds, that this city may sleep in peace.”
The next day, the traveler was seen fleeing the city. His last act before leaving was to order the walls of his palace torn down, and a monument erected in their place.
The monument read:
“Come, weary traveler.
Drink, that you may thirst no more.
Lay down your head and rest.
For the earth gives freely to all in need.”