Post by karl on Jan 3, 2007 15:18:27 GMT -6
Professor Zei looked out upon the vast dessert around him, and despaired. The library was here somewhere, but he just couldn't find it. His food was running short, and his ostrich horse had drunk the last of the water this morning, and, as it was a desert, the only water to be found was from a cactus. We all know exactly what happens when you drink cactus juice, don't we? Not something Professor Zei felt would help him.
The Head of Anthropology wasn't even sure whether or not the oasis was in the direction he was traveling. He wiped his tanned brow with his wrapped wrist, modeled after the style of the desert's sand tribes. Nasty people, they were, he had had multiple encounters with them in the past, and they had often cheated him, and had managed to force him into the desert without food or water, to wander about until he found a safe place with supplies. The war had drove them to this poverty, so he felt sympathy for them; but he hoped he wouldn't encounter them in his current state.
His thoughts shifted back to the library, and its vast collection of knowledge, more valuable than all of Ba Sing Sei. His older peers had told him before he left for the desert how foolish he was. The great wisdom owl spirit didn't exist, how could he have made a library? But Zei knew that Wan Sei Tong(sp) existed. The book about it had been written by the great historian Falstesti Moni himself, and he had never been proven wrong before. The library existed, he would find it, and when he did, he would spend his life in pursuit of the knowledge it contained, billions of priceless tomes that he could spend his life perusing. This vision gave him strength in the darkest times, kept him cheerful even when all seemed lost. It was his hope that he drew upon now, in the heat and horror of the day.
The ostrich horse faltered, one foot sank into the sand. The marginally young professor fell to the ground, grunting as he struck the sand. He climbed to his feet, and dug out the bird's foot before climbing back aboard. It was a sign of his thirsty delirium that he talked to his mount.
"Don't worry, we'll be fine. Just you wait." The sun scorched from above, and he was glad for his hat. But he had nothing to do. It was so hot... He drifted to the lands of dreams against the ridable animal's neck. Every once in a while, he would jerk awake on a hard step, but mostly he slept, hat shading him from the sun that blazed so arrogantly from above.
The Headmaster had not approved of his expeditions into the desert. They were dangerous. Sandbenders and Fire Nation could catch him. And he wasn't sure whom was worse. The war hadn't reached Ba Sing Sei, and only the staff at the university even knew of it. But Zei was twenty-seven, young and idealistic, so he left anyways, headless of the war. The Fire Nation never hurt him in his travels, the sandbenders did. His fruitless search for the library of the great knowledge spirit and even the sand tribe's cruelty did not dissuade him, he still optimistically believed he could find the library. He always would.
The Head of Anthropology woke with a feeling of peace and renewed hope. And he saw, in the distance, a beautiful oasis. Urging his horse forward, the man smiled. He would find the library yet! His optimism had never failed him before, for in the desert, the elements may be harsh, the people may be unscrupulous, but the truest and deadliest enemy was losing hope. Professor Zei could not lose hope, even when his body slowly dehydrated and his blood-pressure plunged, he continued to hope and move forward.
He was within three hundred yards of the oasis- oh what a beautiful sight- when suddenly, his mount's feet were grabbed by the desert, seeming to come alive at his feet. The professor was flung forward, falling off the front of the ostrich-horse, and his the ground hard. He suddenly realized what was going on, fancies of a living desert fading way as he saw the group of sandbenders approach. His heart sank, they would take his animal, his gold, and defile his map. He stood, aching from the impact and made for his horse, his thirst wracked body moving slwer than needed, but the sand benders bent his ankles and feet to the ground, and the rest of his body soon joined them against the blazing hot desert sand. He felt a sudden burst of pain in the back of his head, and fell unconscious. This time, he didn't dream.
The Head of Anthropology wasn't even sure whether or not the oasis was in the direction he was traveling. He wiped his tanned brow with his wrapped wrist, modeled after the style of the desert's sand tribes. Nasty people, they were, he had had multiple encounters with them in the past, and they had often cheated him, and had managed to force him into the desert without food or water, to wander about until he found a safe place with supplies. The war had drove them to this poverty, so he felt sympathy for them; but he hoped he wouldn't encounter them in his current state.
His thoughts shifted back to the library, and its vast collection of knowledge, more valuable than all of Ba Sing Sei. His older peers had told him before he left for the desert how foolish he was. The great wisdom owl spirit didn't exist, how could he have made a library? But Zei knew that Wan Sei Tong(sp) existed. The book about it had been written by the great historian Falstesti Moni himself, and he had never been proven wrong before. The library existed, he would find it, and when he did, he would spend his life in pursuit of the knowledge it contained, billions of priceless tomes that he could spend his life perusing. This vision gave him strength in the darkest times, kept him cheerful even when all seemed lost. It was his hope that he drew upon now, in the heat and horror of the day.
The ostrich horse faltered, one foot sank into the sand. The marginally young professor fell to the ground, grunting as he struck the sand. He climbed to his feet, and dug out the bird's foot before climbing back aboard. It was a sign of his thirsty delirium that he talked to his mount.
"Don't worry, we'll be fine. Just you wait." The sun scorched from above, and he was glad for his hat. But he had nothing to do. It was so hot... He drifted to the lands of dreams against the ridable animal's neck. Every once in a while, he would jerk awake on a hard step, but mostly he slept, hat shading him from the sun that blazed so arrogantly from above.
The Headmaster had not approved of his expeditions into the desert. They were dangerous. Sandbenders and Fire Nation could catch him. And he wasn't sure whom was worse. The war hadn't reached Ba Sing Sei, and only the staff at the university even knew of it. But Zei was twenty-seven, young and idealistic, so he left anyways, headless of the war. The Fire Nation never hurt him in his travels, the sandbenders did. His fruitless search for the library of the great knowledge spirit and even the sand tribe's cruelty did not dissuade him, he still optimistically believed he could find the library. He always would.
The Head of Anthropology woke with a feeling of peace and renewed hope. And he saw, in the distance, a beautiful oasis. Urging his horse forward, the man smiled. He would find the library yet! His optimism had never failed him before, for in the desert, the elements may be harsh, the people may be unscrupulous, but the truest and deadliest enemy was losing hope. Professor Zei could not lose hope, even when his body slowly dehydrated and his blood-pressure plunged, he continued to hope and move forward.
He was within three hundred yards of the oasis- oh what a beautiful sight- when suddenly, his mount's feet were grabbed by the desert, seeming to come alive at his feet. The professor was flung forward, falling off the front of the ostrich-horse, and his the ground hard. He suddenly realized what was going on, fancies of a living desert fading way as he saw the group of sandbenders approach. His heart sank, they would take his animal, his gold, and defile his map. He stood, aching from the impact and made for his horse, his thirst wracked body moving slwer than needed, but the sand benders bent his ankles and feet to the ground, and the rest of his body soon joined them against the blazing hot desert sand. He felt a sudden burst of pain in the back of his head, and fell unconscious. This time, he didn't dream.
