The alchemist Part one 05

“People from all over the world have passed through this village,
son,” said his father. “They come in search of new things, but when
they leave they are basically the same people they were when they
arrived. They climb the mountain to see the castle, and they wind up
thinking that the past was better than what we have now. They have
blond hair, or dark skin, but basically they’re the same as the people
who live right here.”
“But I’d like to see the castles in the towns where they live,” the
boy explained.
“Those people, when they see our land, say that they would like to
live here forever,” his father continued.
“Well, I’d like to see their land, and see how they live,” said his
son.
“The people who come here have a lot of money to spend, so they
can afford to travel,” his father said. “Amongst us, the only ones who
travel are the shepherds.”
“Well, then I’ll be a shepherd!”
His father said no more. The next day, he gave his son a pouch
that held three ancient Spanish gold coins.
“I found these one day in the fields. I wanted them to be a part of
your inheritance. But use them to buy your flock. Take to the fields,
and someday you’ll learn that our countryside is the best, and our
women are the most beautiful.”
And he gave the boy his blessing. The boy could see in his
father’s gaze a desire to be able, himself, to travel the world—a
desire that was still alive, despite his father’s having had to bury it,
over dozens of years, under the burden of struggling for water to
drink, food to eat, and the same place to sleep every night of his life.