Sitting by the tree.

He kneeled down to take a sip of water from the lake. As he did, he felt the water was different, he felt it go down and through his body until it got to his eyes.

The world changed, everything was alive. Then he heard it, a voice on the lake barely a whisper. He got as close as he could but it was still far away. So he drank more of the water from the lake. As he drank the voice got louder.

He heard the voice humming a melody, mesmerized he sat by a tree and fell asleep. It was night when he woke up, the fog from the lake lifted and the only light was the moon.

The melody had stopped but over the lake, the silhouette of a woman was drawn by the fog. She came close to the edge of the lake and asked: " Have you come for answers?" Confused, he looked at the absence of fog where she stood.

"Not sure," he said " You have three questions," she said. He then understood he was in the presence of an oracle. " three questions…" he repeated as he stood up. "Three questions," he thought, " but what should they be? When will I die? Or how maybe, but that's two.

How would life be like knowing when it will end and if I pick the how. would I be always trying to avoid it? What is my purpose here, perhaps?

But would I be unsatisfied if I didn't have to find the answer myself? If all there was, was what it is and nothing more. Does God exist, could be one?

After seeing the hesitation of the man she told him: " There are hundreds of questions but there are only a few you care about." " Is my destiny written in stone?" He asked impulsively. The water where she stood started to glow, then it elevated and took the shape of her body. " destiny is written in the stars, from dust to dust.

However, your part of them as they are of you, you're dust from them. So it is just as equally in your hands as it is in theirs." The glowing water came back to the lake as she finished answering the question. " two more questions," she said.

" Will there be regrets at the end of my life?" He asked. Once more the water from the lake elevated and shining with the shape of her body she answered: "there are always regrets, but the life you'll live will have more to be grateful for and your last words will be a smile" With a shaky voice and watery eyes he managed to say thank you as the water lost its glow and came back to the lake.

" Will I ever find what I'm looking for?" He asked suddenly in a very serious tone anxiously waiting for the answer. The water rose one last time and glowing even brighter she replied " you won't.

But you'll come to understand it was in the looking we're you'd find it. The water was brighter than it had ever been before. In a quiet explosion of light, the fog dissipated and Only her humming was left.

He sat down by the tree contemplating the three answers as he listened to the music. Before he noticed he fell asleep again until the next morning when he woke up sitting by the tree.