Fictional story #3

In the middle of a vast desert, there was an ancient tree known as the Heart of the Sands. It was the only source of shade and water for miles, with deep roots that reached an underground spring. Legend said that the tree had a guardian, a spirit named Nara, who protected it from harm.
One evening, a lost traveler stumbled upon the tree, exhausted and on the brink of collapse. As he drank the cool water from the spring and rested in the shade, he noticed a glowing figure watching him—a young woman with eyes like stars. It was Nara.

“Why are you here?” she asked softly.
“I am lost,” the traveler replied. “I sought riches but found only this endless desert.”
Nara looked at him thoughtfully. “True riches are not found in gold but in life and kindness.”
Touched by her words, the traveler stayed by the tree, helping other wanderers who found their way to the oasis. Over time, the once lonely place became a thriving refuge for those in need.
Years later, the traveler, now an old man, asked Nara, “Why did you save me?”

She smiled, her form shimmering like sunlight on the water. “Because you were lost, and sometimes all it takes to change a desert is a single drop of kindness.”
And with that, she vanished into the sands, leaving only the whisper of the wind and the steady, life-giving presence of the Heart of the Sands.