The Alchemist & The Old Man

Read "The Alchemist" Part 1 here

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"The Alchemist & The Old Man"

Part 2

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Wilshire was a free man,

As he walked away from the Kingdom,

With a backpack full of his chemistry

And his knowledge of the Magic Arts.

Now he was young, with an old soul.

Now he was free, as a wise alchemist.

He was glad to feel the sun,

After the days he spent behind bars,

Now all his life was ahead of him

With the Elixir of Life.

So, near a pond he sat and rested

To gather up his thoughts,

A pond between the trees of a forest,

So serene and tranquil.

He sat to wonder about the path;

What he could do, what he could be,

And what was the meaning of this.

He thought about the Elixir, and his Life.

What could they bring?

He opened the small chest he brought,

The one that was hidden in his lab;

When the King and his guards searched but could not find

Under the wooden floor.

Ten small flasks were inside,

Glittering the liquid in blue light,

Glittering in the eyes of an alchemist

Who had many secrets to keep.

So Wiltshire took one flask to a nearby tree,

And he dropped a drop to its roots

Long and thick.

The liquid was absorbed quickly,

As well as the sounds the tree made

When its branches stretched

And the flowers on top bloomed.

Wiltshire smiled to the divinity

Around the tree as he walked,

Admiring the vitality of this alchemy,

And the tree's voluminosity.

Yet, at the other side of the tree,

An old man was sitting down,

With ragged clothes and a wrinkled hat,

"Say young man, " The old man said,

"My eyes are not as well to see,

but my ears certainly can hear;

This tree has stretched his branches further,

And its roots just grew beneath my feet.

Wouldn't you happen to see?"

"Yes, I did." Said Wiltshire,

Hiding the flask behind his back.

"Well, quite quickly the tree has sprouted,

As if it has been wanting to grow,

Perhaps it doesn't care much of autumn or winter,

Or maybe it doesn't care that it knows."

Wiltshire noticed the old man alone,

And homeless he appeared to be when he coughed.

"Sir, are you alright?" The Alchemist asked.

"Not at all." Said the Old man, "But that's Life, young lad.

My wife recently passed, and I count my days."

How ironic, Wiltshire thought,

How the Old Man was his same age,

But now grateful for the Elixir,

He was called 'young lad' and 'young man.'

"Why do you count your days?" Wiltshire spoke,

"A tragedy has befallen, sir, no doubt,

But you are still here; you are still alive,

Even to listen to the tree grow,

And feel the roots expand,

Just as you described."

"I do not count the days that come," The Old Man said,

"But the ones that I remember of my past.

You see that rock, over there?"

The Old Man pointed forward.

"That rock is the tombstone of my wife.

I buried her two days ago,

After she took her own life.

The days we were happy I count,

Now that they are gone.

For even if my Life continues,

What I have lived has passed.

You see, she could not live Life as it was,

Having lost our daughter,

In a tragedy that haunted us both.

I chose to endure our daughter's death,

But she could not.

Now I do not only suffer for my daughter's tragedy,

but also my wife's absence because of it."

The Alchemist thought,

and then thought to ask:

"What would you do if your wife ... could come back to life?"

But the Old Man looked at him,

Thinking what a quaint question to ask,

But in all seriousness he answered,

"I would be happy again, of course,

and I would not count my days.

Why would you ask that?

What good can come out

From imagining such impossible thing?"

"I can grant you a favor," The Alchemist said,

"If you promise not to tell anyone

about what I'm going to say."

"I take secrets to my grave." Said the old man.

So Wiltshire gathered his belongings and walked with the old man

To the front of the tombstone of his wife,

And he told him about the Elixir;

What it could do, and what it would mean.

"I cannot bring back your daughter," Wiltshire said,

"For too much time has passed,

But for your wife . . . there's still a chance."

The old man was dubious to trust in the young man,

But his words sounded pure

And his heart eager to help.

“You speak true about this Elixir, you say?” The old man asked.

He saw the Elixir with the same glittering eyes.

“Just say the word and I’ll grant you the favor.” Wiltshire said.

“I’ll grab the shovel and prove to you,

That what I say is no tale.

Tell me, Old Man," The Alchemist marked:

Would you like to see your wife alive again?”

The Old Man could not believe,

What the young man was saying,

But after losing everything, he thought,

To believe wouldn't cost anything.

“Yes.” The old man said.

And Wiltshire darted to serve,

He grabbed the shovel and approached the tombstone

To begin to dig out,

The life the old man buried here.

But before he could dig the first piece of earth,

The old man yelled “Halt” and Wiltshire stopped.

"I do not question your potion, young lad.

For I believe what you tell me is true.

And even though I would love to see my wife,

I don't think she would want to come back.

She made her choice days ago,

Because she could not live anymore,

I would not feel right to bring her back

To the hell she has been struggling to live.

As much as I love the dream to see my wife,

I believe I love her even more.

Leave the tombstone in peace, young lad,”

The old man said, "I rather let her go."

Wiltshire could not understand,

What Life has brought upon him,

Here he stood to help the first person he met,

but he could not do anything.

Suddenly the tree was not as he thought it was,

Suddenly he could not change the autumn or the winter about to come.

"Please, old man." Wiltshire said, "There must be something I could do.

I can't believe there's nothing my alchemy can not do for you."

"I knew the tree sprouted early, for it takes time to grow tall."

The old man said, listening to the tree.

"It is the autumn and the winter that makes the tree strong.

But no, young lad, you are wrong.

Indeed, you have done something for me:

You have made me see,

The life I remember I should not long,

Not anymore.

I would mourn yes, but I will let my past be.

The dream to have it back in a second made me realize

Of what I have left to live.

I will enjoy the autumn and the winter,

When the nights are cold and gray

When the leaves fall off the trees

When the clouds bring in the rain.

For I enjoy the flowers bloom in spring

as much I enjoy the winter snow.

And when the days count me last,

I will rest my body besides my wife

To go to sleep on a day I don’t know.”

Wiltshire had no more words,

He got his backpack and prepared

to continue on his way.

The Old Man sat next to the tree again,

But this time on the other side,

Where Wiltshire dropped the Elixir's drop.

But instead of looking down to the earth,

He rested looking up to the sky,

And saw the tree stand so tall.

Wiltshire left the old man alone, and walked on his path,

To see what other lessons life would bring

For even if the elixir could not save someone today,

Perhaps tomorrow could change,

At least that is what he hopes for and prays.

Wiltshire kept ten flasks inside the chest,

Continuing his quest.

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- Facundo Raganato

The Story continues . . . in Part 3: "The Alchemist & the Kid"

Literature & Poetry - The Philosopher Stone 9