As the Fool walked across the field of wheat, he could smell smoke. Worse than just any smoke, it smelled like burning. He then spotted a small column of smoke heading his direction. Small dandelion pods began falling from the sky and into the golden field of wheat.
A man was carrying large rods over his shoulder and the rods were on fire. He was walking for something with purpose.
We ran out of fire at the fort, the man said, so I went out until I found this lightning-struck tree.
The Fool walked with the man a bit. The Fool could feel the heat from the fire on his back. The man was sweating from the endurance and the heat.
I have to also make sure that none of this wheat catches fire, the man went on, or we lose all of our food this winter.
The Fool could see embers landing in the wheat behind the man, but luckily so far hadn’t caught the wheat on fire.
The fort was a mile from where they were, so the Fool followed the man and stepped on any embers that fell off the logs. The smoke went right into his eyes causing the Fool to strain with tear-soaked eyes to see the threatening embers. The Fool could smell burning hair as the fire got closer to the man’s head.
I would run, the man said, but I might put out the fire or worse, drop it into this dry grain field.
Slow and steady, the Fool thought.
Since the fort was in the middle of a large open space, it seemed close, but as the man and the Fool walked, it looked like they hadn’t gotten any closer. The column of smoke rose into the air that was thick with dandelion pods floating down into the field. The Fool thought about how next spring this field will have little yellow flowers everywhere.
Finally, the fort seemed closer and they could see people running out to help. They each grabbed a burning log off of the man’s back and brought the smoldering wood into the fort to restart the fires.
Thank you, the man said to the Fool, did you want to come in?
No thank you, the Fool responded, my journey ends over there. The Fool pointed to the horizon as wind created waves in the golden wheat. The Fool walked away and started smelling the cooking of meat and was happy that he helped.