+ He stuck his hand into the pouch, and felt around for one of the + stones. As he did so, both of them pushed through a hole in the + pouch and fell to the ground. The boy had never even noticed that + there was a hole in his pouch. He knelt down to find Urim and + Thummim and put them back in the pouch. But as he saw them lying + there on the ground, another phrase came to his mind. + “Learn to recognize omens, and follow them,” the old king had + said. + An omen. The boy smiled to himself. He picked up the two + stones and put them back in his pouch. He didn’t consider mending + the hole—the stones could fall through any time they wanted. He + had learned that there were certain things one shouldn’t ask about, + so as not to flee from one’s own Personal Legend. “I promised that I + would make my own decisions,” he said to himself. + But the stones had told him that the old man was still with him, + and that made him feel more confident. He looked around at the + empty plaza again, feeling less desperate than before. This wasn’t a + strange place; it was a new one. + After all, what he had always wanted was just that: to know new + places. Even if he never got to the Pyramids, he had already traveled + farther than any shepherd he knew. Oh, if they only knew how + different things are just two hours by ship from where they are, he + thought. Although his new world at the moment was just an empty + marketplace, he had already seen it when it was teeming with life, + and he would never forget it. He remembered the sword. It hurt him + a bit to think about it, but he had never seen one like it before. As he + mused about these things, he realized that he had to choose + between thinking of himself as the poor victim of a thief and as an + adventurer in quest of his treasure. + “I’m an adventurer, looking for treasure,” he said to himself. + HE WAS SHAKEN INTO WAKEFULNESS BY SOMEONE. HE had fallen asleep in + the middle of the marketplace, and life in the plaza was about to + resume. + Looking around, he sought his sheep, and then realized that he + was in a new world. But instead of being saddened, he was happy. + He no longer had to seek out food and water for the sheep; he could + go in search of his treasure, instead. He had not a cent in his pocket, + but he had faith. He had decided, the night before, that he would be + as much an adventurer as the ones he had admired in books. + He walked slowly through the market. The merchants were + assembling their stalls, and the boy helped a candy seller to do his. + The candy seller had a smile on his face: he was happy, aware of + what his life was about, and ready to begin a day’s work. His smile + reminded the boy of the old man—the mysterious old king he had + met. “This candy merchant isn’t making candy so that later he can + travel or marry a shopkeeper’s daughter. He’s doing it because it’s + what he wants to do,” thought the boy. He realized that he could do + the same thing the old man had done—sense whether a person was + near to or far from his Personal Legend. Just by looking at them. It’s + easy, and yet I’ve never done it before, he thought. + When the stall was assembled, the candy seller offered the boy + the first sweet he had made for the day. The boy thanked him, ate it, + and went on his way. When he had gone only a short distance, he + realized that, while they were erecting the stall, one of them had + spoken Arabic and the other Spanish. +
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