I crashed to my knees. 

The weight that they and my ankles have had to carry had become too much for them to continue. I felt all my weight crash to the hard surface that was beneath me. As I hurtled to the ground, a cloud of dust filled the space around me. A sharp pain erupted from within my knees. It was as though the bones had all shattered.

I fell onto my butt and looked down at my throbbing knees. They were covered in goo. I tried to wipe away the mud. Slowly the brown goo was changed to a crimson fluid. Large gashes allowed my blood to flow freely from within. I tore strips away from my shirt and made an attempt at bandaging my knees. I lifted my gaze and saw, that, where my knees had fallen to kiss the earth, was a large river rock. Smoothened from the weathering and erosion, but there was a large crack in the middle. This area had been without water for some time and the heat had then caused this rock to split, resulting in my opened flesh.

I began to look around at my surroundings. A river rock implied a river. I was in the middle of a riverbed. Where was the water that used to flow through here? There was only dust, only shrubs. Very little green surrounded me.

The heat was horrid. I needed to get out from under its torturous waves. My eyes darted around. Luck was on my side. About two meters from where I sat, a large stick that I could use to aid in my progress forwards.

I managed to limp to the stick. With the stick in my already bruised hands, I made my way to a shady area. Each step forward brought the shade closer. Each step that I took, took all of my strength. I had very little energy. There was nothing left of me. But I had to press on. I had to find a safe space to replenish my soul.

I had found my way to this barren land, I almost had it programmed as my destination. This was all my doing. Along my route were many travellers that all required something. Being the good Samaritan, I managed to aid them in their progress on their journeys.

There was one traveller. We travelled together for a long stretch of our respective journeys. I was sharing with the traveller most of my resources. I believe that I had hoped that the traveller would, in turn, share their resources with me too. That was not the case, so I removed myself from the traveller’s company and ventured onto my own route. However, by this time, most, if not all of my resources had been used up. That is how I found myself in the dusty barren land, fighting for survival.

I paused, looked back and noticed that I had travelled quite a distance already. Yet, the shade was still a distance away. My legs would not make it. I could feel that they were turning to mush with each step. As I turned my head to look again in front of me, there was another traveller. This one was familiar. I had already met this traveller on my journey. I inched closer. I could see that we had very similar experiences on our journeys. We were headed to the same destination… a haven for our souls to be replenished. We collectively decided to inch our way to that destination together. We would draw on the other’s strength. We would hold the other’s hand when the other had a moment of weakness.

The journey that we all go through is made easier when we are with another traveller. We are not destined to go about this alone. So I took comfort in the company of a traveller that I had met before and a traveller that knew and shared my pain having gone through many similar events.

I do not know how it was possible, however, I found the strength to press forward. The pain that had encased my entire being was tolerable. The air was less dusty and had become sweeter. There were sounds again, birds. The songs of birds had begun to fill the air. We were getting closer.

We both saw the green environment before us. We could see the light was different. We could feel a cool breeze. This was it. We were within our havens' grasp. Battered, bruised, parched and in dire need of replenishment. I again fell to my already shattered knees. This time, however, instead of a crash landing on a solid surface, I fell onto the green padding of grass. My fingertips felt the very edges of wet sand.

I lay down and began to roll. I rolled over the grass, every revolution allowed me a glimpse of that traveller I shared the remainder of my drought with, doing the same. I rolled past beautiful flowers and then and then came the water. I rolled into her. My body was soaked in the water. I could roll no further. Instead, I began floating. The water began seeping in. I was being replenished. My soul’s cup was filling over the brim. I did not want to leave.

I stayed in the water for several hours. Knowing full well that at some point I would have to get out again. The traveller was in the water too. Her cup was being filled. Her soul too was being replenished and repaired.

Once our cups were filled, we knew that we again would have to travel. We would have to share our resources again with travellers along our journey. This is and would be a never-ending cycle. Making our way from haven to haven. Aiding other travellers on their journey. We could not be selfish and keep all of our resources to ourselves. Also, we (the traveller and I) were not selfish by nature.

At some point, we will head away from the haven. When we are fully restored. When we have fully healed from the devastating journey we had just travelled. Until then, we will be in our haven recovering and mourning our pain. We will, someday, face the next journey. Our own journeys but we will remain close by to always be there for each other. Walking along the edges of our respective paths to the next oasis, and with some luck maybe when we reach the next haven, we will not be so battered, broken, bruised and full of emptiness.