My brothers left me at the crossroads and I continued on my own to search for the wonderful vine. It was stolen from my father, and he cannot stop weeping over its loss.
When I stopped to have something to eat, a lame fox came along and said he was hungry. I had very little for myself, but I gave him half of what I had. Then I told him what I was looking for and he said, “Follow me!”
We came to the gate of a large garden. To reach the vine, I would have to pass through twelve outposts, each with two guards. The fox told me that if I saw the guards looking straight at me, I should go on without fear, for they would be asleep. On the other hand, if the guards had their eyes shut, they would be wide awake.
The fox is teaching me to look very differently at the world!