Rosewater Oasis A white stag pulls up a stool and bellows hymns to enchantments.

Towhee felt recovered enough to stop overstaying her welcome in the ravine, though she didn’t possess the strength to go much further than whatever she found next door. She barely believed her eyes when she first saw the greenery of the oasis over yonder, thinking it might be some kind of mirage.

Then Towhee set foot in the place. All these sights and smells were real, as far as she could tell. And she might have worried that she’d died and gone to heaven, though she didn’t believe in that crap. Marveling at her fortunate find, she walked slowly until she came to a pool framed by six palm trees.

She stepped beneath their shade and helped herself to the surprisingly cool, sweet water. After she drank her fill, she considered exploring further but decided to take it easy instead. Towhee folded down beside the pool’s edge and seriously considered staying there forever.