Everyone in the village quickly got hooked on using electricity in their daily lives.
Now that they had this new power source, they no longer had to manually pump water up to the water tank for the entire village. Everything was now powered through an electric pump that supplied the plumbing system with water, automatically refilling it whenever the water had been used up.
Water, which had been so scarce in their lives before, was now so abundant that there was a large fountain in the middle of the plaza that continuously entertained the HobMankeys.
Lolo watched with a warm gaze as the children played and splashed around in the fountain, drenching themselves in water.
Because of Michael, children no longer had to feel the same hardships they experienced when they were kids. They had all the water they needed, and so much more that they had the luxury of washing their bodies every day.
He sighed and looked at the horizon of the Parched Lands.
Guilt started to rise in his chest. Here he was enjoying life without any worries, yet there were still a lot of Yellow Mankeys still suffering out there in the desert without even a drop of water to drink.
He could only hope that they would soon find this paradise and be blessed with Michael’s gift.
…
…
…
Out in the middle of nowhere, with the horizon full of nothing but an endless desert, one single yellow Mankey was trudging through the dry soil.
His body was emaciated, with his skin flaking from dryness.
It had been days since he traveled out of his village to find the mythical oasis—a place full of water and life. But he soon found out that this was nothing more than a dream. There were only bones out there from Mankeys who ventured out into the desert with the same futile dream as him.
He was about to give up and just return to his village.
But just then, he saw something in the distance. The heat of the sun turned everything blurry for the Mankey, but he was sure that he witnessed other creatures walking in the desert.
He walked closer until he finally came across a strange new species whose fur seemed to glow and shine under the sun.
The Mankey would have thought he came across his own species, but their straight posture and their human-like faces told him that they were different from himself. They were more powerful.
Not only that, they seemed relaxed.
Even when they wore strange clothes that covered their bodies, they didn’t break a single sweat under the intense heat of the sun.
They had a casual attitude as if trudging through the harsh and dry desert was not a challenge, but an easy stroll in the morning.
Compared to the Mankey, these creatures were laughing and having fun. They weren’t hanging on for dear life.
Then, the Mankey saw one of the creatures take out a single bottle from his pocket.
…slosh…
Even in the distance, the Mankey could recognize that sound. It was water!
The creature took a big gulp from the bottle and drank all the water he wanted to drink.
The Mankey couldn’t help but gulp with a dry throat as he watched the creature quench his thirst.
Then, something incredulous happened. The creature began to douse himself with the water, letting it drip out of his face and fall to the ground, completely wasting this life-saving resource!
The Mankey couldn’t believe it. If his throat hadn’t dried, he would have shouted at the creature for wasting water.
Even if he already had his fill, the creature could have saved that water for his other comrades.
Just as the Mankey thought that, the other creatures took out their own bottles as well and began splashing themselves in water to try and beat the heat.
Finally, the Mankey built up the courage to approach these creatures.
“Benevolent beings… please… spare water…for me,” the Mankey begged, his head almost buried in the ground.
The HobMankeys all looked at him and saw the horrible state he was in.
“I am willing…to become…slave for water…please…”
Before he could continue to beg and prostrate himself even more, he suddenly felt a cool sensation in his head.
He looked up and saw a wooden bottle of water near his forehead.
“You don’t look well. Here, drink all the water you need,” said the HobMankey.
The Mankey carefully took the bottle and took his first sip.
It was truly water. And they gave it to him without even asking for anything in return!
The Mankey soon began filling himself with water. He didn’t even let go of the last drops inside the bottle and drank it all before finally heaving a sigh of relief.
“Haaa…” The Mankey uttered, lying on the ground, completely filled. “Gracious beings… I thank you!”
The HobMankeys shrugged their shoulders. They seemed to have learned from Michael himself that this was a gesture that meant ‘you’re welcome’.
“I am willing… to give my life… to serve benevolent beings…” said the Mankey.
But the HobMankeys shook their heads. “There’s no need for that. We have plenty of water to spare.”
Upon hearing this, the Mankey was only led to one conclusion: they found the mythical oasis in the middle of the desert!
If he could lead his village to this place, then they would be saved from death.
“Please… tell me… how you obtain this water… I need… to save my village…please tell me… where is… Oasis!”
The Mankey knew that this was a long shot. After all, if these creatures did find the Oasis, they wouldn’t want to share it with anybody else. They would hoard it for themselves.
Even still, he had to try.
In response, the HobMankeyslooked at each other. Even though they were only sent into the desert to find limestone, they were still instructed by Lolo to lead any lost Mankey into the village.
“We don’t know any oasis, but we do have a paradise! It’s a place where water flows like rain, where food is abundant, and where stars come down into the ground at night.
We can welcome you and your entire village. Do you want to see it?”