As the Fool walked across the shallow lake towards the two towers and the bright moon, he saw an island that had a vineyard on it. He trudged through the water to it to see if he could find some wine to drink.
He found a farmhouse that was cozy. He could see the fire roaring inside making all the windows glow. He saw blankets and furs everywhere. The Fool wanted to break in and snuggle by the fire. He saw a long wood table that had a feast laid across it. The Fool could smell the aromatic food from outside. Whoever lived here, lived well.
He found a large wine barrel filled with grapes and gold chalices on top. The Fool saw that this was where one would do the wine treading to crush the grapes to make the juice that would ferment into wine.
He almost didn’t notice the man walking away and towards a treacherous mountain pass. He looked sad and dejected. The moon made him glow a ghostly white.
Where are you going, the Fool asked the man.
Far away from here, the man said without looking back.
The Fool followed him into the mountain pass and saw a long winding treacherous path rise up into the mountains. The rays of the moon seeped into the crevice and lit up the surface of the path. The man had a tall walking staff and a large hat.
Where are you going? The Fool asked.
I told you, the man responded, far away from here.
Why? The Fool asked.
I can’t be there anymore, the man said, it just makes me sad to be there.
But it was so nice there, the Fool said.
It was, the man said, but now it isn’t anymore.
What changed? The Fool asked.
Nothing, the man said, I just got tired of waking up there. I kept wondering what was on the other side of these mountains. I thought that I could start over somewhere else.
The Fool couldn’t understand this man’s melencholia. There was no reason for it, but he has left what most people would see as an eden for something he doesn’t even know exists. A mythological place at the top of the mountain.
The Fool followed the man up the mountain. The road was hard to travel. It was narrow with a sheer cliff on one side dropping into darkness. The only light was the little bit of moonlight that crept into the narrow canyon. The wInd blew hard and made the Fool scared that he could get blown right off the side of the cliff into the abyss. The wind howled through the stone walls.
The man and the Fool summited the mountain and found that a sea surrounded them. There was nothing. The moonlight illuminated everything, and there was nothing. The man looked around several times before sighing and sitting down.
Are you going to go back to your home? The Fool asked.
No, the man said, I will be fine right here.
Your home is so much better than this though, the Fool said, pleading with the man to give up this foolish quest.
The man just crossed his arms and leaned back on a rock and closed his eyes.
I will stay here, the man said, maybe happiness will come to me here.
The Fool shrugged and walked back down the mountain confused. He will never understand the man’s dilemma with depression. He had his own journey to figure out.