Rocks filled the ground as far as the eye could see. Millions upon millions of minuscule rocks; laying on each other they formed hills and plains and were spread out far and wide. And they, the living, whenever they passed would leave behind their traces – traces fated to disappear when the living left once more. It was a lonesome place. A place free of wonder and free of change. A place of indifference and emptiness. But also a place of tranquility. A place to stay undisturbed.

Out of those rocks that filled the world, a green pillar grew. It was a beautiful green. A green like the color of life. A green filled with vitality. A green so beautiful that whoever saw the pillar from close up couldn’t help but wonder in awe about who had created it.

Beautiful dot patterns covered the pillar. From all the way down where it touched the endless rocks and where the foundation of the pillar held it strongly and steadily in place, they went up to the top of the pillar. The top that went up towards the sky, as if to defy the heavens themselves.

The dots seemed to follow no pattern but they also gave of a beauty and perfection unlike anything done by mortals hand. It was something to marvel at and lose oneself in wonder of.

And it didn’t just dare to defy the heavens alone – the pillar – it dared to hold up to the sky an artwork of incomparable delicacy and grace. And the artwork was always held directly at the sun. It was as if to mock the the sun for its roughness, as if to mock the world for its imperfection.

The art work of such beauty was made up of thirty three pieces. Each so delicate, it was a wonder that none fell of.

Each piece was shaped in the way a heart was drawn. And each began at the pillar in the color of the sun high up and towards the ends of the shape they turned more and more simple in their colour, until they turned into the white of the clouds that always hazed up the skies above.

The hearts, which where stuck with their pointy end in the pillar that held them, up formed together a shape just like a plate and just like a plate they held something in their middle.

There in the middle where they all joint up was laid out a small golden treasure. It was a treasure that gave life out of nothingness.

The pillar that mocked the heavens might have been able to defy the heavens for much longer, however, fate had other plans. A giant eyed the pillar that aimed for the sun, a giant so large, they could trample the pillar and destroy the treasure it held so proudly without even noticing. They had eyed the pillar and has been watching it for a long time now already.

Now, the fated moment came. They moved their giant hand and two of their fingers grabbed the pillar and moved to uproot it from the ground, but the pillar was strong! It defied the giants with all its strength! Just as there seemed to be hope, however, the giant frowned and with a twist of their fingers, the pillar broke… and so ended its infinite glory of defying the heaven – with a simple twist of two fingers.

----------------------------------------

“God damn it! Haven’t we spent enough time looking at a goddamn flower?” they where annoyed. Seeing that they suddenly moved to grab it they complained even more: “And now we are even plucking it out of the sand? Why?!”

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“Not enough, no. I plucked it to get a closer look at it.”

“Oh come on!”

They ignored them however and proceeded to muster the flower from all sides and they continued to do so for a long time…

“Are you finally finished? The sun is rising already, again!”

“Take it easy, there is no rush. Let me enjoy this a little bit longer.”

“You already plucked it, can’t you like just take it with you!?”

“I will. But it’s not the same. I have to look at it here first.”

“How so?”

“Looking at it while moving is less relaxing.”

“Fine, just hurry a bit, I don’t want us to waste even more time.”

“Wasted? This is not time wasted.”

“Obviously it is! We are spending hours upon hours upon hours looking at a meaningless flower, we aren’t progressing at all. We already wasted two whole days in which we could have brought a wide distance behind us! And for what? For nothing! It brought us nothing at all!”

“It was for fun. I enjoyed myself, so it is time well spent. Not all things have to wield tangible results.”

“Tch.”

They ignored their frustration.

“Can I throw in a question?” they interrupted the two of them.

“Sure.”

“Did plucking it make you have a much better experience looking at it?”

“A little bit, not much.”

“Then was it worth it to pluck it for that? For that little bit of benefit, was it worth to take the rest of the world the chance to see its beauty?”

“So what?”

“Don’t you want to have the chance to share it with others?”

“Not really.”

“You selfish … argh! Then don’t you want the chance to in the future talk with people about what you both have seen? To compare and see others perspectives?”

“That…”

“And if everyone kept things in this way to themselves, you wouldn’t even have had the chance to enjoy looking at it. Someone else would have plucked the flower way before you!”

“You’re right.”

“Of course I am!”

“I should have thought it through.” They nodded.

“Good that you got it.”

They looked at the flower in their hand with their gray eyes. Then, with the flower in their hand, they went on their way.

They continued on their journey of following the burning sun to let it lead them to wherever they where supposed to go to, each step leaving behind steps in the sand. And while they did progress without a doubt, with the endless sand in front of them, it felt like they where no step closer to their goal then when they had parted from the temple of the supposed ruler of the dunes.

A changeless journey was a lonely journey.