/.../
Maria and Lucia didn't see the spring straight away. Some holm oaks at the side of the path had formed a kind of green grotto from whose roof hung shreds of moss. Half-hidden by the vegetation, the water silently gushed out of the wall of tuff rock.
Maria got the impression that this precious liquid was oozing forth from nature, dripping to the ground where it formed a small puddle, from which it flowed, crossing the path, to then grow into a little stream which began its journey towards the sea.
A waterfall, Sardinia (photo Blue Planet©)
Tiu Brotu pointed out that the wood around them consisted mainly of holm oak: in fact, the spring was called Elighes Uttiosos, which in Sardinian means Dripping Holm Oaks. The old shepherd invited them to quench their thirst, drinking himself with cupped hands. He had taken his hat off and was taking small sips, enjoying the goodness and coolness of the water. It was nearly eleven o'clock and already very hot. Lucia wandered off and lay down in the shade of an oak tree.
Maria looked around and decided to sit beside the spring, from where she also had a view of the sea. She shut her eyes and began to imagine her personal battle against the illness.
When she reopened them the sun was high in the sky. The palms of her hands were so hot that the sensation was almost unpleasant, but beside the spring the air was cool. She drew closer to the water, lay her hands on the wet moss and, together with a delightful feeling of coolness, the spring conveyed a feeling of inexplicable happiness, a desire to sing, laugh, and run, which she had not felt for a long time.
She was grateful to it for that gift, because that was how she saw it: that the spring had given her something, perhaps its love. She expressed her gratitude out loud, knowing that she was speaking to a being whose existence she had sensed for the first time. She wasn't ashamed of speaking aloud, nor did she feel ridiculous: she loved that water.
She decided to go to Lucia and share what she was feeling with her. First, however, she drank again and again, savouring every sip until her thirst was quenched and, before leaving, she bathed her face. She was happy.
When she reached the oak where Lucia was sitting, her eyes were bright with happiness. "Isn't it beautiful!" she exclaimed, moved. "I'm..I'm.." "Don't speak," Lucia whispered to her, beckoning her to sit beside her and, pointing to the horizon, she added, "Sit beside me. Look at the sea."
