scorched spring

Legends warned to take heed before crossing the arid plain. 

The stories of those triumphant—the ones who successfully crossed the plain—chronicled vast rewards on the other side, and a bountiful spring near the midpoint. 

On the brink of hallucination, three explorers summoned the last of their energy reserves to find this alleged spring.

Eager to replenish, their empty canteens were open and ready to receive. The spring was only steps ahead.

They found only remnants. A chasm chiseled in smooth granite provided only evidence of a water way that once was. Today, the run of the chasm was blackened by embers of the past. 

The scorched spring—a reminder that past success always feels closer to the present.

-m

July 7, 2020