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The following short story is dedicated tomy Mama, who is starting on a new journey after almost three decades of aninspirational walk.A long walk.

PrakarshFriday, July 27, 2007 The Long Walk

The walk had been going on for 28 years. Thetraveler felt thirsty and looked for water in whatlooked like a forlorn well in the sands of the Gobidesert. He had not had anything to drink for severaldays. He looked down into the well and saw hisreflection in the water. How much he had changedfrom when he last saw himself. Signs of fatigue hadset in permanently on the youthful face. Theforehead had creased and the eyes looked swollenfrom lack of sleep.He lowered the bucket into the well and filled it tothe brim with water. Pulling the ropes, he brought thebucket up and splashed water onto his tanned face.He cusped his hands and gulped the precious watertill he could drink no more. Just as he was about to resume his journey, a tallman with very long white hair and a white beardappeared to jump out from the well. The traveler wasastonished. He had never seen such a magicaloccurrence. He stepped back and asked the old manwho he was. The old man gave him a knowing smilesuch that his whole face was crinkled from foreheadto chin. Stretching his arms, he held out a ruby and apearl in his open palm to the traveler. The traveler was even more confused. He asked theold man why he wanted to give them to him. The oldman said in a serious voice, “Anyone who drinks thewater of my well gets to keep these gems. These arenot ordinary gems. They grant you a wish if yousprinkle water on them. Ruby will give you what youtruly want but before you sprinkle water on it, you

must spend a day with someone whom you do notknow.” The old man continued, “The pearl is to be sprinkledonly when you spend a day with yourself. Use themwisely – they can only be used once.”As soon as he had said these mysterious words, theold man left the jewels in the hands of the travelerand disappeared back into the well. The traveler thought of sprinkling the pearl withsome water, but then realized that he had to spendan entire day with himself. So he began to introspect.He began to think what the purpose of his life was.What he had achieved in his life and what remained.What he had learnt and what he wanted to learn.What he had experienced and what he wanted toexperience. He realized that he was still very far fromhis destination. He evaluated his strengths. He hadfaith in himself. He was empathetic. He was notafraid of change. He was good to people and perhapsmore importantly, good with people. The walk had been taken to discover what laybeyond. He had been fascinated by what he hadseen. The serene lakes, the deep gorges, the cliffsand the seas, and the sprouting of rivers andwaterfalls had captivated him. He had made manyfriends and had learnt from them about theirsuccesses and failures. Everyone admired him for thecourage he possessed. He had gone where no onehad and traveled far and wide. At a young age, he