14. A Garden in the Mountains

Whoa. I didn't know people kept gardens in the mountains. But there I was--on a garden in the mountains. The flowers seemed like they had just been watered and some of the vines had just been pruned. I walked up to a cherry tree in the garden to smell the blossoming branches.

Oi! There's someone whistling! I slowly peered across the leafy branches and discovered an old man trimming the bushes.

"Ah, Albert. You're here," he said as he turned around, revealing his soft, tender face--aged and wrinkled by years of gardening and crowned with grey hairs of wisdom.

"What?! How do you know my name? Who are you?"

"That's right," he replied.

"Oh... Wait. That doesn't answer my question."

"Indeed. How did you get here?" he asked.

"I...Come to think of it, I don't even know how I got here. Why am I on a mountain? What am I doing here?"

"Ah, there you go, young boy. Now you are on the right track."

"The right track to where?"

The old man reached into his pocket and pulled out a long white candle.



"If you can light this candle, you will understand."

"How am I to light this candle if I have no match?" Where was I going to find a match or a lighter in a secluded garden in the middle of mount nowhere?

"Ah, look at how beautifully the cherry blossoms bloom! Here is your answer: Blossoms cannot bloom if there is no tree. A tree cannot grow if there is no seed."

"What? Why are telling me riddles? And you haven't even told me who you are yet!"

"Alright, young boy. My name is Olgie. Yes, yes, I know. My name sounds like the possible name of a deformed teletubbie, an ogre-looking dwarf, or an adorable green pokemon whose only spoken vocabulary is its own name. But alas, I am none of these gruesome creatures! I am Olgie, the old man from--"

"Oh!! I think I know the answer: A seed needs to die in order to produce fruit! It remains only a single seed unless it falls to the ground and dies. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."

"Ah, good answer! That is very true. But not the one I'm looking for. Just remember: If you can light this candle, you will understand."

With that, the old man Olgie turned around and continued to trim the bushes, ignoring my bewildered countenance and attempting to muffle my ensuing questions with his whistling.