Standing in the rough sea was a King. He held in his hand a silver cup and in his other hand a Talmud. The waves lapped at him, but he didn’t seem to mind the crashing surf. He was the master of his watery domain.
The Fool was on a small boat that rocked violently with the stormy sea. He could taste the brine all the way to the back of his throat. The Fool could see that there was no beach to get to; they were at the bottom of huge steep cliffs where trees grew out sideways.
The King just stood there. The sea beat at him, but he looked at the land to his right side-eyed, as if he was waiting for something. Nothing but swifts darted in and out of the cliff walls.
The King said to the Fool, I will take you in.
He found a rope and dragged it towards the cliffs, pulling the boat with it. The Fool fell to his back from the rocking of the boat over the high waves that crashed over the walls of the boat and drenched him. He started to shiver with cold.
The King towed the boat into a small cave under the cliffs, where the sea was calmer, the water blue and crystal clear. The Fool could see every rock and plant and fish in great detail under the surface of the water. Light blue ripples were reflected on the cave ceiling.
At the deepest corner of the cave, a set of stairs carved into the rock itself came down from the top and went all the way into the water. As the Fool wondered what was up there, several nuns came down the stairs, whispering and giggling in hushed voices. The King turned the boat around so that the Fool could look out from the cave into the wild sea. The King joined him.
As they looked out, the Fool could hear the nuns splashing in the water and laughing. They were swimming behind the boat. Their splashes and laughter echoed across the small cave they floated in. The Fool was in his small wooden boat and the King could just stand on the water.
Soon the nuns could be heard dressing and walking back up the stairs. The cave became quiet. The King let go of the tow rope and the Fool looked back at the empty cave and stairwell. The King was protecting the nuns, and keeping him from looking at the bathing nuns as well.
The sea began to calm as a fog settled in. The swifts still darted in and out of small holes in the rock. They flew erratically as the night air cooled down. The Fool watched an octopus traverse the rocks at the bottom of the cave. Each tentacle took turns to reach out and find a spot to pull the rest of the body and the other tentacles along.
The King stood stoically on the water. His eyes followed the shoreline until it disappeared in the ever-thickening fog. As the fog grew closer, the light dissipated until it became dark, so dark that all the Fool could hear was the lapping of water on the cave walls and his boat. It sounded hollow and lonely.
He laid down at the bottom of the boat and fell asleep. He knew the King would watch over him as he drifted off. The gentle rocking of the boat helped him sleep. He dreamt of his journey and all of the things he has seen so far. He dreamt that he was aligning his will to the will of the universe. He dreamt he found his purpose.
The King watched the Fool sleep. He had seen this Fool sleep in this boat many times before. He wished he could show the Fool exactly what he was supposed to see so that the Fool could learn, but he knew he should be gentle and protective.
He let the Fool sleep. He knew that the Fool would wake up somewhere else. He got ready for the nuns to return for their morning baths.