G) You must have fallen asleep. You awaken to the blinding white light of the desert. However, you hear the trickling of water falling lightly into a pool. You sit up and realize that you are entering an oasis (an area in a desert that has plant life and tree growth due to an underground source of water). Your father is still with you. He says, "I am taking you to the city-state of Ur to learn how to trade. But, we will rest here for a while." You slurp at the refreshing spring water bubbling up from the ground. The trees around you provide shade from the blistering sun of Mesopotamia. Your father plucks some wild figs and dates for lunch. Suddenly, you notice that you are not alone. An old man, obviously a traveler from one of the city-states, sits quietly under a date palm. He turns to you and says, "I have a myth to tell you, young one. An Epic of epics!"

Do you?

K) LISTEN TO HIS TALE

F) LOOK AROUND THE OASIS

copyright Jay D'Ambrosio 1998