The Star was showing him where he should go. Zakariah circled around the shaft of light, dazzled by its radiance, many times before he entered its embracing warmth. 

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And when he did, he gently drifted down with the Bundle between the slats of the stable’s roof, like a ball of cotton. And in that humble stable, the Mother of the Baby had fallen asleep, waiting for the Bundle to arrive. And in the stalls, the sleeping animals awoke quietly, curious to see Zakariah. As he stood in the glow of the light from above, he was surprised at that the feeling of some sadness in knowing this journey was at an end. 

 

The sleeping Mother lay waiting, but he wanted to linger in his joy and pride. He did not want this journey to end. He never dreamt that he would have seen the things he had seen and met the odd but wonderful people he had at such a young age. But he knew this Bringing was the first of many more to come. He had grown because of his kindness and the kindness of others and there was plenty of time and space in him to grow more. He took a deep breath and looked up into the light above. Part of gaining wisdom is taking it and spreading it about. Zakariah looked at the Mother and stepped out of the light. He gently crossed the stable under the many eyes of the enthralled animals so close he could feel their breath. Zakariah placed the Bundle between the resting Mother’s arms.

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And that was it. One gentle act to a end a harrowing journey. “You’re home now, Baby,” Zakariah whispered. “Anything I face in my future, I’ll do it with you in mind. I’m a Bringer now. Thank you for your patience and strength. Goodbye.” Zakariah backed away from the Mother and Bundle into the shaft of light. He spread his wings, and if you were to ask any of those animals in the stable who witnessed his parting, they would tell you that Zakariah only spread his wings and did not beat them. He was lifted into the air, up into the light, through the slats missing in the broken roof. 

 

The Star continued shining its light until the three crowned friends appeared, bearing their gifts for the Baby and its parents. Zakariah found his way back to The Mountain Of Victories without the guidance of the Star. He became wiser and wiser and lived to be the oldest Bringer that there ever had been. But not an old farty one. Zakariah trained hundreds and hundreds of young Storks into the Order of Bringing. Relatives of Athena sought out his wisdom even though they had the Bringing in their blood. Many a Stork became knowledgeable of the ways of the Bringer up until Zakariah’s last day on this Earth. Now this is where his tale ends. His name was Zakariah Watercutter. My name and my friend’s name do not matter. They will only be forgotten. But not this story.

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And if times have changed and you are in a world where the Animals and Humans speak to each other again, I hope this is one of the stories you will share. We know of other tales told with the same people and animals but you will have to dig in the desert to find those ones if you do not know the tales already. 

 

My friend and I will wait for the wind to stop blowing and then we will bury it in the sand. The desert will keep it safe. We will find our way out of the desert. Do not fret on our behalf. But if we do not, the sun and sand will do as it may and I am happy for that... My friend not so much. 

 

Farewell. 

 

May we all find our Star to guide us out of the desert.