The Parables of Undique

Three Blessings

         In a time before, there was an old fortune teller, traveling with a caravan of merchants and showmen. They had camped outside of a small town with the intention of staying for three cycles, not including the cycle they arrived on. When they had finished setting up camp, families left the border of their town to see the shops and entertainers. Jugglers, acrobats, and fire breathers laid hats on the ground, hoping to pocket a coin or two, but the fortune teller simply sat in his tent with a sign next to the entrance.

            Now it came to pass that a young man was wandering the caravan when he came across the fortune teller's tent and poked his head through the entrance. There, sitting in the center was an old man, who had noticed him and gestured for him to sit. The man happily obliged and sat on the floor of the tent in front of the old man.

"Are you the fortune teller then?"

The old man spoke calmly.

"I am. Are you a man in need of a fortune?"

The young man smiled warmly.

"Sure, I'll have a bit of fun."

The fortune teller took the young man's hand and held it in his. He closed his eyes and the two sat in silence for a short time, then the fortune teller opened his eyes and was very pleased with his findings.

"You sir, are in luck. Over the next three cycles, you shall receive three blessings. Go now and be merry, for the best is yet to come."

The young man wondered if what the fortune teller had said was true, but being an optimist at heart, he payed the fortune teller and left, anticipating his good fortune.

On the dawn of the first cycle, the young man, feeling lively and remembering the words of the fortune teller, went out to market to buy some bread, bringing a small coin purse with him. As he entered the market, the smell of fresh bread lifted his spirits even higher. He ordered the freshest loaf, thinking that this breakfast of perfect bread may be his first blessing, but when he had received the bread, he reached for his coin purse to pay the baker and it had vanished from his side. The young man was certain that he had brought it, but alas, no money meant no bread, so he humbly apologized to the baker and returned home hungry. For the rest of that cycle, he awaited the blessing that was to come, but nothing happened.

On the dawn of the second cycle, the young man's confidence had been renewed and he was excited to find two blessings in one cycle. It was dusk and the young man was taking a stroll when an older man who looked like a trader approached him and asked him to deliver a parcel to a group of his friends for a generous payment. The young man happily obliged and went on his way with the parcel. To his dismay, a pack of dogs ambushed him while he was en route, knocking him to the ground and destroying the contents of the parcel. The young man was angered by this and shooed the dogs away, grumbling under his breath about the irresponsible owners that let these dogs wander the streets at night. Needless to say, he returned home with no payment.

The third cycle had finally arrived and the young man felt he had yet to witness a blessing. This thought discouraged him, but the chance of three blessings in one day replenished his hope. Later that cycle, he received a letter from a dear friend who lived far away. It was a request for him to visit and reconvene after many years of separation. This news excited the young man, so he saddled his horse and proceeded to make the long trip, thinking all the while of how a visit with his dear friend would make up for his stroke of misfortune. Not too far from his home village was a clearing to a dense forest, which was also the only known way that led to his friend's village. As he approached the entrance, his horse began to rear back and buck. The young man made several attempts to calm his steed, but it refused to enter the forest. He began yelling and cursing it and after a time of defiance, the horse suddenly became ill and collapsed. The young man watched helplessly as the horse took its last breaths, then laid still. Sadness filled the young man's heart and knowing he could not make the journey on foot, buried his horse in mourning and walked back to his town. Rain began to fall as he was approaching the caravan, still settled outside of his town. He remembered the fortune teller and was compelled to enter his tent again, if only to prove his predictions wrong.

The fortune teller saw the young man enter, drenched from the rain. He covered him in warm fur and sat him down.

"You don't appear to be very happy. Surely after three blessings, you would be more chipper."

The young man looked up at the fortune teller with annoyance.

"Do not mock me, for the three blessings you had predicted did not come to pass. I was instead met with great misfortune, one for each day."

The fortune teller was puzzled by the young man's reply and took his palm while closing his eyes, much like last time. This time however, the young man was given a vision. There he stood, ordering his bread on the first cycle, and behind his figure he saw a young boy snatch his coin purse and flee, using it to purchase his own food and eat after not eating for days. The vision went dark and both the young man and the fortune teller looked at each other. The fortune teller smiled.

"Is it not a blessing to feed a child?"

The young man was speechless and the fortune teller closed his eyes once more, sending another vision. This time it was of the second cycle, as the young man was being attacked by the pack of dogs. Looking closer at the destroyed contents of the parcel, it was found to be illegal contraband, smuggled into the town. The two once again traded glances and the fortune teller spoke.

"Is it not a blessing to have stopped a crime?"

The young man breathed deeply, realizing he was almost an accomplice. For the final time, the fortune teller closed his eyes and sent a vision of the third cycle. The horse had just died and in the forest, hiding in the brush, was a vagabond, lying in wait for the next traveler to be mugged and murdered. The fortune teller's smile was much bigger now.

"Is it not a blessing to be spared such a terrible death?"

The young man was now in tears, for he knew it was indeed a blessing, a blessing he did not deserve. He gave great thanks to The Almighty for the provision he had received over those three cycles and looked to the fortune teller.

"Tell me how I'll know when I have been blessed, so that I may not be sorrowful."

The fortune teller smiled warmly and spoke his wisest of words.

"Everything is a blessing, my boy, everything."