Week 13 Storytelling:

The warrior was weary from his travels. Zarc had traveled for weeks through the desert on his own. He only had a canteen full of water and a pouch with a small portion of food. Zarc portioned his food and water and made it last for the two weeks that he wandered. The day that he ran out of food and water was the day he found an oasis was the day his life changed.

Zarc was banished from his community because of a minor mistake that cost him. He had misplaced the leaders knife while on a hunt and the leader banished him for it. He was sent out into the desert which meant a death sentence because no one ever made it out of the desert alive.

The oasis sat in front of him but he did not think it was real. In his mind his eyes were playing tricks on him. Though he was thinking this he still walked towards it hoping that he was wrong about the trick. As he approached the water line he was ready for nothing to be there but instead was greeted by a cool feeling on his feet and ankles.

The water was cool and clear. It was definitely the purest water Zarc had ever seen. He plopped his body down and completely submerged his body in cold water. He thought that he could not possibly be alive. As he was thinking this he saw a glistening object towards the middle of the pond. He was intrigued but decided to walk out to it. The object was just barely beneath the surface of the water and as he approached it the water began to pulse. He went to reach for it and grabbed it out of the water. As soon as it was out of the water the oasis disappeared right before his eyes. The object was a sword. It was the sharpest sword in the land and it was his.

He took this sword and continued his journey through the desert. A few days passed and Zarc did not see any civilization. The blade was becoming heavier and heavier with each step through the desert but Zarc did not let it go. He started dropping other objects like his food rations and water. The Blade was the last thing that Zarc had. There was no civilization anywhere around him when he took that final breath that day. Once he passed away the sword created another oasis around the lifeless body of Zarc. And a town could be seen in the distance from the oasis..

The Mysterious Oasis

Photo Provided by Wikimedia Commons

Author's Note: This story is from the King Arthur unit and came from the  Excalibur story. The original story had Arthur coming from a battle that made him tired. Arthur had lost his sword as well and was in search of another. He traveled to find one and ended up at a lake. He saw the Sword being held by a hand out in the middle of the lake and had to ask the lady of the lake if he could take the sword and she said yes so he went out and grabbed the sword. The sword brought him good luck. That is where my story differs, the sword in my story was a burden and it caused a man to be greedy and create his own demise. The way he just gives up his food and water shows that greed can make individuals not see clearly and make the wrong decision. I thought this was the best idea to show how I perceive greedy people and it really brought a strong image to the table. I enjoyed writing this story and hope it was enjoyable!

Bibliography: "The Sword Excalibur" from King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang Webtext