Okay.

Listen closely, Odai.

When everything seems strange
with no solution in sight,
stop trying to understand
and trust the great healer: time.

Confront the things that make you suffer
and find the pleasure in your pain.
Suffer a little or suffer a lot,
but only suffer what is allotted,
for every cause has its own pain.
You’ll find that suffering is a teacher
who will reward you with strength, courage and valor.

And when the night comes
as a dark storm of a thousand questions,
don’t try to find all the answers
because you never will.

Close your eyes in sacred silence
and say a prayer, no matter which one,
no matter your color, religion or race.

And from the silence of your thoughts,
once they finally stop spinning,
will come the imminent answer
to all the doubts you clearly felt
that were going to drown you.

And the answer, although you may not like it,
is simply: to wait.

Now you know, you know the answer,
you may now sleep in peace.

The Princess sighed. -- Thank you, Writer. It sounds better in Spanish. Don’t worry; I got it. -- She covered herself with her blanket, put her arm over her dragon and fell into a deep sleep.

13

The next morning the birds were cheerfully singing in the branches, the Dragon was sleeping and the Princess...? Was up... and making breakfast?

Good morning, Writer.

What’s this? What are you doing up? It’s nine in the morning. For you it’s the crack of dawn!

Today is a special day. I am going to meet The Richest Man in the World. I got up really early and went to the river to bathe.

How did you get food? How did you light the fire?

Well Writer, when you trust life, you can make miracles happen.

The smell of the food that the Princess was cooking (on a perfectly made fire by the way) woke the Dragon up.

Good morning! I slept like a baby... What’s that smell?

I made breakfast... are you hungry?

Yes, all of that soup has been digested and I’m hungry again.

They both ate and sooner rather later they were on their way again.

They walked for about an hour and suddenly, between the trees, they could see smoke coming from a little chimney. When they reached the house that belonged to the chimney, they found that it was a very humble hut, made of hay and wood; there was a man reading a book sitting in a rocking chair on the porch. The Princess walked over to him.

Good morning.

Good morning -- said the man, looking over his book. He was a thin man... his skin a light shade of pink, his hair and beard were white, but he didn’t seem like an old man. He was wearing funny looking glasses and dark blue overalls over a white t-shirt and he was barefoot. -- Who are you?