Stumbling along the path of uncertainty,a frail girl fell at the foot of a master dressed in gold.

He was the prime source of wisdom for all those who had lost their way, for all those who had a question worth answering.

Standing in his lavish glory, she deeply desired his response to a thought burning deep within her soul.

Silent he stood, patiently awaiting her question.

Embarrassed, she knelt to his feet
She feared that this Supreme Being would not help her, for many other soldiers, stronger than she, had traveled these woods and arrived at no answer at all.

Overcome with emotion, she contemplated the release of her secrets to a stranger
Yet she could not bear to lock away her question forever. The frail girl felt the innermost mysteries of her mind travel through her veins and ooze out her skin.

Louder than expected, she blurted out, "Oh great master. I am about to embark on a conquest of epic proportions. I plan to completely take hold of my own endeavors and change myself, hopefully for the better. I, however, fear that the great energy I am to exert on my journey may all be to waste when the hourglass excretes its last drop of hope." Still looking at his feet, her face began to grow red.

He stood there, still motionless and silent. After recollecting his thoughts, he bowed down to her eye level and brought her in close.

In a deep, humble voice, he asserted "With the great trial, dear, may come great pain. Yet with the death of the unknown, comes a reassurance of life. The outcome of your journey, whether it be pleasant or evil, will never be worse than your greatest fears."

He paused for a moment, hoping that his simple answer to a complex question would suffice. When he saw no sense of understanding on the girl's face, he continued: "An hour glass can only stay turned for so long. The world is constantly revolving- churning at its center. Without a periodic renewal of self, we fail to adapt to a world that is constantly changing on its own..."

He finished, softly, "..the universe itself is ambivalent, all things within it must be."