Once upon a time there was... a traveler who arrived at the main city in a distant country. He had taken a long journey in order to find the treasure which, according an old legend, was supposed to be buried in some hidden place in the mountains.
As he did not know where to start, he asked for advice to an apparently honest salesman who sold to him not only a detailed map of the site but also a complete mining equipment with which the traveler went in search of the hidden gold mine. But the ore was exhausted and the rotten and decayed structures of the galleries had turned the mine into a mortal trap.
Disappointed –but with his lesson not yet learned-, the traveler went back to the city looking for the “true” map which should show the exact site. And that was how he met the venerable old man who pointed to a very hidden and remote place after the most distant hill, far away in the skyline. This time, the traveler trusted the man because his face irradiated nobility and he did not seem given to lie.
When the traveler arrived at the place, he found the site more inhospitable than expected so he felt the drive to quit his search and went back to his own country, to earn his living by the alms his neighbors gave him. Nevertheless, he decided to believe the old man not only because of the nobility of his face but because he had rejected any price for his information; therefore, the traveler decided to give it a try.
So, he began by clearing bushes and boughs in order to get some wood to light a fire. Next day, he decided to cut down some trees to build a little cabin to get sheltered. Later, he used the fertile land around his shelter to get an orchard in order to get some food so that he could survive. Some months after, he began to convert his cabin in a nice wooden house with a farmyard where to breed some chicken and he also sow some cereals to get his own bread.
Snow came and heat, as well as drought and rain, but the man, busy with his task, lost his sense of time.
One day, somebody knocked at his door: It was the venerable old man who had showed him the site time ago. The traveler invited the old man and shared his bread with him.
- It´s been a long time since I showed you this site –said the old man.
- I’d been so busy that I lost my sense of the time.
- I see you have cleared bushes and boughs and you have cut down some trees.
- I’ve been working to have some comfort. I have also planted what I needed for my food.
- And have you finally find the treasure you were looking for?
The old treasure-hunter looked at the venerable old man and then he looked around: ploughed soil, meadows, a farmyard, fruit trees, a warm house and a beautiful landscape. He looked again the venerable old man and answered:
- Of course, this is the true treasure you knew it was waiting for me.
ramiro