The Fountain of Youth has been found. Over and over again.
You squeeze through the final gap in the mountain walls before dawn breaks.
The climb was arduous. The caves a lesson in the true meanings of both "darkness" and "faith."
You started your search at 25 - fresh from college, young enough to still be cocky. Your classmates and friends ribbed and teased, but wished you well, with a laugh and "just one more shot."
Now, nearly two decades later, your former classmates have stopped laughing. Or talking to you when you see them. Or responding to your calls.
You're just an embarrassment to them. A waste of a degree.
But now, here you are. You FOUND it!
A glistening font of water, which flashes with gold as sunset over the sea - even at night.
The fountain rests atop a small hill in the center of the village
You look around and observe the area seems to be populated by the elderly. There are no strong protectors, no hunters, nor mothers or children. Just old men and women who wander the streets: some sweeping the courtyard around the Fountain of Youth. Others lounging beneath shade trees, or sharing snacks from bowls carved of wood or stone.
None speak. Their minds seem to have been stolen by age.
You can SMELL vitality in the air from the spray of mist as you approach.
You wonder, briefly, why they haven't sipped from the water and renewed themselves?
You step confidently up the slope. The closer you draw to the spring, the more it overwhelms your senses.
There is no sound save for the musical chiming of the water over smooth stones. No scent but that of the font - nearly petrichor, but with a slight hint of something ancient, and almost spiced.
Finally, after so much searching, you reverantly dip your cupped hands into the cool, sweet waters - drawing them to your lips.
Your eyes flutter shut as you partake of the Fountain of Youth.
A small, thin cloud begins to drift across the sun...mirroring the fog that gently, inexorably drifts across your thoughts.
Soothing. Calming. You smile softly.
The villagers approach, offering a soft cloak. A bowl of cut fruit. A walking stick, to aid your steps. You instantly feel the relief.
The Fountain of Youth has once again claimed another caretaker. Partaken of the life energy freely offered by its newest supplicant.
The Fountain's eternal flow strengthened. It will never fail its caretakers. The forest that feeds them will remain eternal.
How kind, and selfless these humans are.
The Fountain has no idea that the world forgot which way the Youth actually flows.
Not that it would care, anyway.