As you look around, you take in the stark beauty of the desert.  As far as the eye can see are rolling dunes, broken only by a sparse scattering of hardy desert shrubs and cacti.  You can see no evidence of water yet you know there must be water because of the cacti.  You are carrying nothing with you so you know that soon you must find a place to shelter and water.  You pick up a pebble and place it in your mouth to keep your saliva flowing and walk forth confidently, wondering why you have been brought here.  You keep your steps measures, not too fast, not too slow, enough so you can pace yourself sensibly as you walk along.

You hear the sand crunching under your feet and soon a fine layer covers your feet and ankles.  The breeze is stronger and cooler and you find yourself shivering every now and then.  You see a large structure ahead of you and walk towards it, not increasing your pace for your know it could be a mirage.  The sky is darkening and soon you will see the glitter of distant stars.  You reflect for a moment on what life is held on those distant stars.

As you near the structure, you see that it is a the remains of what looks like a temple.  The surrounding wall has tumbled down and most of it is covered by sand.  You wonder how long it has been since someone has seen it.  As you walk through the gateway, you see that the small building is partly roofed with stone and you walk towards the door, curious as to what it holds.

You stop on the threshold and look around. The stone floor is cool and soothing on your bare slightly tender feet.  You see a rudely carved altar in front of you with some objects on it.  As you walk closer you see a wooden goblet and a plate of some sort of metal, dusty, dented and blackish in colour.  You look around and see that there is an ancient looking dusty broom in the corner and it stirs within you that you would like to clean this old place of worship.  You walk across to the broom, your footsteps raising small dust clouds and gingerly take hold of the broom.  It does not, as you half expected, fall apart in your hands and you see as you pick it up that it is sturdily made.

You start at one corner of the room and slowly start to brush the dust towards the door, you don’t question why you do this, nor do you reflect for more than a moment that sooner or later it will be filled with dust and sand again, rather, you are glad to be of service and to restore this little temple in whatever way you can.

As you brush the floor methodically, you find yourself humming to yourself, the words rise unbidden in your mind and you start to sing softly.  The words come from deep within and you question them not.

[pause for a while]

Once you have finished cleaning you look around with a sense of satisfaction and notice that one corner of the temple floor seems to be damp, so you walk over to it to investigate.  As you squat down to see better you discover that there is a source of water but it is being blocked by sand so you clear it.  The wet sand feels delightful on your hot skin and the smell is clean and fresh.  Once you have cleared the little source of water, you fetch the wooden goblet and plate from the water and clean them.  You use some of the wet sand to scour the plate and soon it is sparkling.  You rinse the dust from the goblet and the colour of the wood changes to a deep mahogany red.

You fill the goblet and drink deeply of the cool clear water and it slakes your thirst.  As you were cleaning, you noticed a tightly closed jar in another corner of the temple and now you walk towards it, curious as to what it holds.  You brush the dust off the top with your hand and then pull out the cork which seals it.  You peer inside and discover to your delight that it contains dried fruit.  You help yourself to a liberal handful, stopper the jar and replace it in the corner, refill the goblet with water and then seat yourself, unthinkingly in front of the little altar.  You eat the fruit and drink the water until there is almost nothing left.  Bashfully you place a piece of fruit on the plate and the goblet with the remains of the water on the altar.

You feel bidden to go outside and there you find a perfectly round pebble with a hole within it and a bone of an animal long gone.  You take both of these inside and lay them on the alter in acknowledgment of the Lady and the Lord.

Satisfied, you take one last lingering look around you and then walk out the door for you know that your time here has ended.  As you look up into the night sky you see that it is ablaze with the light of a million stars and you say a silent, thankful prayer and send it winging up into the heavens.  You feel a sense of peace and achievement and as you walk out into the desert you find yourself back at home, at peace.