I Dream Of Gardens in the Desert - By Anakin1218
-All RtED characters belong to Dreamworks. Inspired by Sting's song 'Desert Rose', As always thanks to Reba for her words and collaboration
'Desert Rose' by Sting
"I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in vain
I dream of love as time runs through my hands
Sweet desert rose
This memory of hidden hearts and souls
This desert flower
This rare perfume is the sweet intoxication of love.
The sight of gold just enchanted Tulio, the way it sparkled in the sun and how different colors blazed like fire when combined together. He didn't realized how much he valued his sight and how much other things in his life where even more precious than that golden gleam. It all started one afternoon; he'd spent the morning counting the gold tribute from the latest feast. Bibo scampered into the store house and soon Tulio was following the little fellow on a mini adventure through the palace gardens. As usual Bibo was on the trail of a butterfly, he led Tulio through many dazzling botanical sights. Passed huge trees that blocked the burning rays of the sun, flowers with blossoms as big as a small child. Even tiny blue orchids that smelled sweet as sugar cane; Tulio was enjoying himself he had to admit, it was nice to see the city's natural beauty for a change. Everything would have been fine if he'd only been watching where he was going, he was so busy thinking about dinner that evening; he walked right into a cluster of huge leaves. The wind blew the enormous fronds into his face and he absently swatted them out of the way and continued following Bibo.
He'd only taken a few steps when his sight began to grow fuzzy around the edges! Alarmed he immeadtly sat down on a neighboring bench and watched in horror as his sight dissolved into nondescript haze. Only things extremely close to him could be seen, thinking that something had gotten into his eyes, he swiped his face with his hand. It came back covered in a whitish sap, which must have come from those leaves he'd encountered!
Growing more and more alarmed he almost died of fright when Bibo appeared at his side and elbowed him with his long snout; thinking fast he told Bibo to go find Miguel (great he was talking to an armadillo!), supriseing the little fellow dashed off and in no time flat had indeed returned with Miguel. Amazed Tulio just sat slack jawed; he had to admit the little guy was quite clever. Miguel came over to inspect his out of sorts pal, Tulio could only see Miguel when their faces where just inches a part. Anything beyond that was visible but very very fuzzy. Soon he was being ushered into the shaman's home and a whirlwind hour insued, where he was poked, prodded and every aspect of his inflicted eyes observed. During this time he was able to admire the scientific and doctoral skills of the elderly Indian; who far outstripped those back home in Spain.
Before he knew it, Tulio was back in his own bed; with a cloth (dampened with some local herb and water) covering his eyes, at least the hellish headache that had plagued him sense loosing his sight was letting up. With out his sight he began to use his hearing to alert him to the world around him; it really was amazing what he'd never noticed before.
Mostly because quiet reflection was Miguel's fortia; he was usually franticly dashing through the day, always thinking about the next scam and how much gold they could win. Sounds began to catch his ear, things that he'd never paid attention to before; the particular tread of Miguel as he kept watch outside the door, Bibo's nails scratching on the stone floor and the wind as it sang through the open windows far above his head.
Soon he gave himself over to the healing power of the herbs and the relaxing sounds of the song Miguel played on his mandolin; just as he drifted off he prayed to whom ever was listening that he'd get his sight back.
Sometime during the night he felt someone sit on the edge of his bed and take his hand into their own. It was Miguel, using their silent signal; a pact they'd made long ago. The simple hand clasp meant 'I'll always be there for you, always have been and always will be." It amazed Tulio that through everything they'd endured; the two friends had managed to scrape by with their lives and relationship/ friendship intact. The gesture gave him a small measure of comfort and he slowly drifted back to sleep with his hand still entwined with his partners.
The next few days where given over to bed rest and quiet reflection, each day he found something else to discover without the aid of his sight. It would have been too painful for him to try and go about daily business with only half his sight; so most afternoons found him relaxing on one of several stone window seats that ringed his room. Each one looked out over a different aspect of El Dorado; lush Forrest, bustling Town Square or quiet garden. Each with unique sounds to enjoy, a glimpse of a far richer world than he could have ever imagined. He also gave himself over to reflecting on the amazing series of events that had brought the him to El Dorado; memories of the spectral natural beauty flipped through his mind. Like the day they'd encountered the giant waterfall, rushing and roaring in an immense display of power and beauty; they'd stood and watched it for ten minutes. Before he knew what he was doing, Tulio began to conjure other wondrous sights he'd seen on his trek through the jungle; those remembrances became his main stay during the days of recovery. Most of all he missed seeing Altivo's quirky expressions, Bibo's adorable ears and Miguel's 'look'. The one that made Tulio cave in to whatever plan or scam his partner wanted to undertake.
By the end of the third day Tulio's eyesight was finally back to normal; once again the aged shaman came for a visit. In voice barley above a whisper he told Tulio that he suspected that he'd gained much more than his recovered sight. Surprised, Tulio nodded yes and thanked him profusely for taking his time and expertise on his behalf. After the shaman left, Tulio ran outside as fast as his legs would go. He found the one person and two animals that meant the world to him seated in the courtyard, awaiting a diagnosis. He enfolded everyone in a huge hug, which earned him a hug in return from Miguel, a sloppy kiss from Altivo and a 'nosing' from little Bibo.
If anything this latest fiasco had taught him, it was that friendship was the grandest treasure of them all; El Dorado had shown him the greatest of her riches, not that of glittering gold or opulent wealth but of friendship and love.
The End