Jade Water

I took the magnets out of my compass,

and used the lightning, thunder, drums and trumpets

as guidance through the thick brush, vines, thorns and fungus.

Searching for a state-of-mind that's been orally passed down as being

impossible to find, I verbally questioned the locally blind for geographical

hints to pass along the time. Being an outsider, I found it difficult to gain

the trust of the locals, so I insisted on courting the nobles who made me

swear an oath of secrecy on a leather-bound book of unspoken vocals.

A crude map was given, along with a sacred blade and a handshake

of permission, a navigational gem that glistened, a silk sack of

provisions, and a long list of strict exploratory conditions.

For hydration, I must only drink the rainwater, and if I

stray from the way, I must follow the council of the

river otter. If I find that the temperature is getting

hotter, my course is true, and I must begin to sip

the elder's firewater. My mind must melt into

an isolated state of backwater, then, and

only then, will my eyes be capable of

witnessing the gifts of jade water.