The Fountain of Youth

I finally found it. The fountain of youth. Though I guess it would be better to call it a lake. I'm one hundred and four now and I've been searching for over seventy years for this. My body is old, my mind is finally starting to slip, and my will has been fading but I finally found the fountain. So it wasn't in vain and everything I've lost to find it can be mine again. The fountain was within a vast forest where the trees hugged so close together that at some points it had been almost impossible for me to continue forward. But I had hobbled, crawled, and literally flung myself forward in my pursuit.

I looked around enjoying the view. It was the first time in days I had seen the sun or the sky. I head towards the lake now and see a sign by the lake. A large wooden thing with 'Rules' carved crudely across the top. I couldn't tell what had carved the words. It looked like someone had used a sharp rock or maybe claws though that didn't make any sense. Underneath the first word were carved three rules. '1. One sip will make you young. 2. Two sips will make you younger. 3. Three sips will make you forever young.' I start to hobble my way towards the water when suddenly a creature bursts from the woods.

The beast barrels towards me on all four feet making no other sound. I feebly lift my cane trying to protect myself. The beast pulls up short standing up on two feet. It stands tall over me enough so that I have to crane my head far back to look at its head. It has three heads but only one actually seemed conscious of me. It has the body of a man but is covered in fur from its neck to its feet. The creature's legs can't seem to decide which way they want to bend at the knees. It makes me uneasy just looking at it. The creature lowers itself only a little to speak to me, "Wait creature of dust. I am no enemy of yours. I have come to talk to you about the fountain. I assume you have read the sign, yes?"

Nodding I slowly lower my cane back to the ground before I fall over, "Yes I read your blasted sign. Now out of my way before I die of old age or a heart attack." I started hobbling towards the water again, licking my lips. I can already taste the sweetness of it upon my tongue.

The creature moves in front of me, "Wait I have one warning for you and then you may proceed. Do not take three sips of the water. The price you have to pay is far too great and no one is ever truly ready though they may think they are. So please listen to me when I say do not take three sips." With that the creature stepped out of my way and bowed, gesturing towards the water.

I stepped up to the lake and kneeled down. I placed my hand in the water and brought it to my lips taking the first sip. Immediately I could feel the effects coursing through my body. The aches that I had lived so long with faded away from my body. I could feel my mind becoming sharper, the fog that had been slowly enveloping it dissipating like the sun had suddenly shone down upon it. I looked at my hands noting how tight my skin had become. I looked in the lake and gasped in marvel at how young I looked. I was easily fifty years younger from the looks of it.

I dipped my hand into the water again bringing it up to my lips taking my second sip. I once again feel my body growing younger. I stood up now so happy I danced a little jig. Song bursting from my lips my voice back to the rich baritone that it had once been. No longer the dry gasping wheezes that had plagued me for the past year. I found my mind running a million miles an hour in a thousand different directions and I could actually keep track of it all. I took a look in the lake once again touching my face. I looked eighteen again.

I looked at the creature, "I will heed your warning for now. But a day may come when I return to this place and take that third sip. Thank you for sharing this with me" The creature merely nodded at me. He turned and waved his hand, a path opening through the forest. He then bounded back to where he had come from. I left the forest and began my life anew.

I found that with the two sips my body only aged ten years for every hundred that passed. I learned, I lived, and I loved again. I watched mankind rise and fall through various nations. Slowly my heart became cold and callous from watching so many people I came to know and love pass away before me. I had to move so often to avoid suspicion that soon no place was home for me. I couldn't believe that being granted so much extra time had somehow become a burden on me. Yet it was.

I was plagued now not by physical ailments but by mental ones. My dreams and my daydreams were filled with all that I had seen. The countless lives that had left me. The countless wars that had stripped so many lives away. I could bear it no longer. Mankind had finally reached a point where he could go into space and travel at will. That is what I would do. I would go to space and I would give myself the ultimate isolation. Then I could gather knowledge in peace. I could live in peace. Eventually I would forget all of these people and I could be free. Enjoy all the exotic unique things the universe had to share.

I made my way back to the lake. This time the first opened for me easily for I had been here before and it recognized me. Eight hundred years had passed and I had the body of a one hundred year old once again. I walked up the lake using my cane to propel me forward. Once again the beast came out from the forest on all fours stopping me before I reached the lake. He had not aged in all this time. He bent down to talk to me, "So you are back? How was your time in the world for these last eight hundred years?"

I told him of all that happened in that time. How my plan was to leave the earth and wander the universe alone. Learning and enjoying all the things the vast universe had to offer. So I was here to take my final sip. The creature listened along and when I had finished he spoke, "I will once again say that the price you must pay to be eternally young is far higher than you will want to pay. No I can't tell you what it is but that is my final warning. Drink at your own risk." With that he stepped to the side and gestured to the lake. I walked up and knelt down dipping my hand into the water and took my third sip.

Before I'm even finished with the sip the effects began taking affect. But this time while I could feel myself growing younger my body was shrinking at the same time. When it is done I can feel that I'm laying on my back. My mind is still acutely sharp but my body feels tiny and frail. I can not properly move my limbs. They more just flail around and from what I can see shows me that they are now small almost like an infant. I try to speak but all I hear are cries and babbles.

The creature walked over to me looking down. He seemed impossibly tall now as if a giant was standing above me. He slowly leaned down gingerly picking me up holding me to his chest. He felt wonderfully warm and comforting. He started walking back to the forest now and began talking to me, "As I told you. The price was far greater than anything you would want to pay. Now you are an infant but with your mind still intact. And now you can join all the others who wouldn't listen to me. To stay for all eternity as an infant. But on the bright side you get to live with me now."

We came out of the forest to a clearing. There was a small house and then a much larger one next to it. He takes us into the larger house where there are around twenty infants just like me. Though most of them are sitting up and able to crawl around. He sets me down in a crib, "After some time you'll regain at least some motor function. Then you can join the others and play. Enjoy the first day of your immortal life." He walked out after that and all I could do was stare at the ceiling.

I hope you all enjoyed this story. I thought it would be fun to take a different approach to the fountain of youth. If you did enjoy then please leave a like, subscribe, and feel free to leave a tip. Till next time.