Long ago, in a bustling marketplace

teeming with carriages and throngs of people,

there was a whispered legend about a hidden spring.

It could not be found in plain sight,

yet its waters ran crystal clear and sweet,

with the power to revive withered lives.

Anyone willing to open their heart

and believe in its existence

would discover a boundless source of nourishment

and endless comfort.

In this city lived a woman

whose life was steeped in hardship and humiliation.

She had neither a cherished love

nor abundant wealth,

and her misfortunes drew only cold glances

from those around her.

Her days stretched out like an endless desert—

dry and desolate,

with only her tears for company

through the long nights.

One day,

she happened to hear the legend of the hidden spring.

A gentle longing took root in her heart.

Though weighed down by shame and self-doubt,

she clung to a faint hope:

perhaps this hidden spring

really could bring some relief to her broken life.

Then, by chance,

she came upon a well so unremarkable

that few paid it any heed.

Yet there she beheld water,

perfectly clear, flowing quietly.

In that moment, she stood transfixed,

as though the spring itself was waiting patiently

for her to draw near.

With cautious but resolute steps,

she approached and cupped her hands

to scoop up some of the sweet water.

The moment those cool drops touched her parched lips,

a gentle warmth surged through her being.

She felt a comfort beyond words,

as though a tender voice were whispering in her heart,

“I have always been here,

just waiting for you to come.”

In that instant, her heart was flooded with light.

The hidden spring she once believed so distant was,

in truth, always there, close at hand.

Its sweet waters not only quenched her thirst

but also washed away her shame and sorrow,

letting her feel

—at last—

the richness and joy

that life could hold.