by Brett Krkosska
The five young men gathered close around the fire. The day-long trek
across the arid high plains had left them weary and discouraged. Was this
journey an act of otherwise sane men?
Certainly the elders could not be mistrusted. Their constant ramblings
about the man called Jambali filled the air almost daily. They said he was
a man of immense wealth
and wisdom. A man that freely dispensed both to any that sought it.
Yet many had traveled to the eastern mountains in search of this man, and
all had returned weeks later with nothing to show but callused feet. Was
it all just a wistful tale; a fantasy concocted to give the people of
their desperately poor village a reason to hope? This was the question
that plagued the five travelers as they bedded down for the night, their
hearts full of hope and their heads full of doubt.
The sun rose to find only four travelers remaining; the fifth having let
doubt win over. His note by the ashes of the fire implored the four to
push on, but he had returned to the village, unable to pursue a journey
that held no promise.
And so the four travelers hiked throughout the morning and reached the
tree line of the eastern slopes by mid-day. It was a welcome escape from
the relentless heat of the desert sun. They had not walked more than 100
yards beneath the shade of the trees, when they happened across an old
woman.
They told the woman of their quest to find a man called Jambali, and asked
if she knew where to find him. She exclaimed that they were indeed
fortunate, for he was a
nomad and was camped for the day just over the next rise. She bid them
caution however, as he was not fond of unannounced strangers to his camp.
Thanking the old woman, they hastily made their way to the rise and
thereupon did devise a plan. One of them would ascend the rise to
investigate the layout of the camp and then report back to the others. In
this way they could best decide a method of entering the camp.
They elected a scout, and he ascended the rise while the others anxiously
waited. After a short time the scout returned looking forlorn and
discouraged. He announced to the others that he did not see the camp of a
wealthy man, rather was it the camp of a pauper. He spoke of a man dressed
in rags and a tent of simple design.
And then this traveler did proclaim their journey a fool's adventure,
and he marched back into the desert with a heavy heart.
The remaining three travelers were not so easily dissuaded. One was
elected and he ascended the rise to scout the camp. He shortly returned
with a puzzling report. Not only was this man without wealth, but he was
also crazy. He told of a man standing in front of his tent waving his arms
wildly in the air, screaming obscenities at an unseen demon.
And as before, this traveler also proclaimed their journey a fool's
adventure, and marched back into the desert… with a perplexed heart.
The remaining two travelers had not come this far to give up so easily.
One of the pair ascended the rise, only to quickly return shaking with
fear. He exclaimed that the man was indeed acting crazy, but not because
of an unseen demon, rather because there was a tiger crouched in the trees
ready to devour the man.
This traveler hastily declared their journey a fool's adventure, and
hurried back into the desert… with a fearful heart.
The last traveler began his ascent. He reached the top and peered into the
camp. As he witnessed the scene below, he put his fear aside and decided
to help the man defeat the tiger.
He quickly fashioned a makeshift spear using a dry branch sharpened with
his hunting knife. He ran down the hill and jumped between the man and the
snarling tiger. He readied his weapon and was on the verge of thrusting it
into the beast, when the man suddenly let out a shrill whistle and grabbed
the spear from the traveler's hands. The tiger abruptly ceased its attack,
and trotted over to stand next to the man. Obviously, a cruel trick had
been played upon the traveler.
Distraught over what had just transpired, the traveler demanded an
explanation. The man explained that the old woman had seen the four
travelers approaching from the desert, and had warned him of their
arrival. He explained that his antics were designed to invite only the
most sturdy of heart into his camp.
The man went on to introduce himself as Jambali the Wealth-Giver. He
invited the traveler to sit beside him and tell of his journey. The
traveler did so, explaining that the trip had began with five, of which he
was the only one remaining. He went on to tell Jambali about his people's
belief that all who visited him would receive wealth and wisdom.
Jambali told the traveler that his people's belief was true, but that
before wealth can be possessed, one must first have the wisdom to own it.
Jambali explained, "The first traveler gave up on the first night. He
did not want to work at acquiring wealth. The second traveler saw a poor
man's camp. He had not the vision to perceive wealth among ordinary
things. The third traveler witnessed a crazy man. He had not the vision to
perceive wealth among non-ordinary things. The fourth traveler witnessed a
man-eating tiger. He was not ready for wealth because he had not the
courage to overcome fear."
Jambali watched as the traveler digested these words. They were powerful
words that sank deep into the traveler's heart. Then, without notice, the
traveler thanked Jambali for these wealth-giving secrets and stood up to
depart. He promised Jambali that he would tell his people what he had
learned.
As the traveler disappeared from sight, Jambali strode into his tent and
filled a ruby-rimmed cup to overflowing with a dark, red wine. He drank
largely, allowing the warm liquid to both caress and exhilarate his
senses. A drop escaped from the corner of his mouth and momentarily danced
upon his chin, as if unsure of which direction to fall before
relinquishing its hold to the ground below.
Jambali tossed the cup, gestured loudly to the barren desert which had
swallowed the travelers, and dispensed his last bit of wisdom, "And
the fifth traveler was ready to receive wealth, yet received none, because
he did not ask for it."
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