The Alchemist picked up a book that someone in

the caravan had brought. Leafing through the pages,

he found a story about Narcissus.

The alchemist knew the legend of Narcissus, a youth

who daily knelt beside a lake to contemplate his own beauty.

He was so fascinated by himself that, one morning, he fell

into the lake and drowned. At the spot where he fell, a flower

was born, which was called the narcissus.

But this was not how the author of the book ended the

story.

He said that when Narcissus died, the Goddesses of the

Forest appeared and found the lake, which had been fresh

water, transformed into a lake of salty tears.

"Why do you weep?" the Goddesses asked.

"I weep for Narcissus," the lake replied.

"Ah, it is no surprise that you weep for Narcissus," they

said, "for though we always pursued him in the forest, you

alone could contemplate his beauty close at hand."

"But..... was Narcissus beautiful?" the lake asked.

"Who better than you to know that?" the Goddesses said

in wonder, "After all, it was by your banks that he knelt each

day to contemplate himself!!"

The lake was silent for some time.

Finally it said:

"I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus

was beautiful. I weep because, each time he knelt beside my

banks, I could see, in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty

reflected."

"What a lovely story," the alchemist thought.