The Fountain's Last Drop

Long, long ago, the mayor of a small town was gifted a large fountain by an old couple.

“Take care of this fountain,” they said. “For it can provide water to your townsfolk any time they need it. When it rains, the fountain will replenish. But if the fountain runs dry – it will never work again.”

The fountain sparkled in the sunlight. The water poured from it with such a forceful flow, the mayor had no idea how much could possibly be stored in it. He graciously accepted the gift and placed it upon the center square of town.

The townsfolk came with cups, filling them to the brim. Children would laugh and play around the fountain – scattering flower petals to float in the rippling water. When they were leaving, they would thank the mayor and then turn to thank the fountain for its plentiful abundance.

This always deeply heartened the mayor as he could watch the young ones play, and the older ones smile and make friends with each other as they gathered for their cups.

On the weekends, the clouds would form and rainwater would pour from the sky – filling the fountain back up.

For decades, this continued.

Until one weekend, the rain didn’t come.

“That’s alright, sometimes the rain doesn’t come. We will just have to be careful and not take too much from our precious fountain,” the mayor informed the town.

The townsfolk seemed to understand. Some chose not to fill their cups that week while others took only a little.

“I have medical problems, mayor. May I please get a little more?” an elderly man asked as he rolled up in his wheelchair. The mayor felt for the man and nodded.

“Please be careful,” he told him gently.

The next weekend, the rain still did not come and water that poured from the fountain turned into a steady stream.

“Quite sorry, we are unable to fill our cups this week – without the rain water, our poor fountain is losing its stream. It needs to be replenished,” he told them.

“But, the fountain still flows,” said one of the townsfolk. “Some of us didn’t even grab water last week in the hopes for rain this past weekend. Certainly, we could take just – a half of a cup this time? We need water to survive!”

The mayor pondered the thought for a moment. Looking at the fountain, he could see that, indeed, the water still flowed plentifully. Only taking a half of a cup could possibly help the townsfolk while giving the fountain time to replenish.

“Alright, only a half of a cup – but if there is no rain again this weekend, we cannot take any more.”

The townsfolk all agreed. They each took half of a cup and merrily went on their way – thanking the mayor. He felt a sense of pride when he could see his town becoming merry from their half cups of water and smiled.

The following weekend – there was still no rain.

“We are going to need to find another way to replenish our fountain!” announced the mayor. Some of the townsfolk nodded their heads while others seemed frustrated.

“The fountain still pours!! Our family cannot survive without water! Please, at least allow the children to take a bit of water!”

The mayor had a soft spot for the children. He had watched them frolic around the fountain for years – enjoying the blissfulness of childhood. He missed his own dearly. Since the rain had stopped, the children were not as playful as they once were.

He glanced at the fountain. The stream from the fountain still flowed. Surely, there could be enough – just for the children.

“Alright – just the children.” He told them. The children cheered and ran up to receive their water. He smiled as he watched them each fill their cups. As they brought them back to their families, however, their parents greedily began to take small sips to fill themselves.

The mayor was angered by the adults. This wasn’t what he approved of – but, the children didn’t seem to mind their parents taking a sip, and soon they were frolicking and playing again. So, he decided that it wasn’t so bad. The children were happy and joyful – he should be too.

But the rain still didn’t come.

Days passed and the fountain’s steady stream became weaker and weaker.

“Who took from the fountain?” the mayor demanded. No one stepped forward.

“We cannot take anymore from the fountain! If the fountain runs dry – it will never work again!”

The townsfolk – although saddened, nodded their heads and walked away. Cups empty.

Throughout the following week, the mayor watched the fountain with sharpness. But, each day, the fountain’s stream became weaker.

The mayor became suspicious of the townsfolk. He would notice as greedy eyes seemed to look at the fountain, then at the mayor before turning to walk away.

He began keeping a list of “suspicious thirsts” — anyone who licked their lips near the fountain or stared too long at the shimmer of water. By the end of the week, half the town was on the list.

After that, he began to exile anyone that even looked at the fountain. Townsfolk disappeared one by one – but the fountain’s light stream had lost even more water – turning it into a small trickle. And the rain still did not come.

The mayor built a fence around the fountain.

If no one can reach the fountain – no one can take from it, he thought.

And so, he positioned himself inside the fence and watched his fountain alone.

But the fountain still grew weaker. Until finally, it was just a drip.

“How is this fountain still losing water?” he shouted to no one. Looking around, he found no townsfolk. They had all left in his fury.

Tears began to stream from his eyes.

I don’t want to lose this fountain. It’s so glorious and precious to me! It has served us for so many years! Decades!”

He clasped his hands together and held them up toward the sky. “Please!” he pleaded. “Let it rain!”

The rain didn’t come and fountain ran dry. As the mayor walked over to his fountain, he noticed small bits of water still soaked into the basin. The sun beat down on him and he watched as the small puddles evaporated into nothing.

He had sent his townsfolk away on accusations that weren’t true. He sat beside the basin and sobbed once more. Tears streamed down his face. First a couple of drops, then more, splashing into the basin. He missed the children that once frolicked, the adults that would drink and be merry with their friends, and the joy he felt from it all.

“What’s wrong?” someone asked behind the mayor. He jumped and turned abruptly.

The old couple, who had gifted the fountain had returned while he sobbed.

“The fountain – it’s run dry. It will never work again. The rain had never shown up,” he told them.

“Ahh,” the old man finally said. “Well, you can’t just rely on the rain to fill the fountain. Sometimes – you have to find a new source, and fill it yourself in a different way.”

“Here,” said the old woman, holding out a cup of water. “Fill it with this.”

The mayor held the cup of water and looked at the empty fountain.

“It will just evaporate in the sun,” he said, looking down.

“Then fill it with this,” another voice cried out in the distance. The mayor raised his head and saw – each townsfolk had not just one, but TWO cups of water in their hands. Wagons filled with buckets and barrels rolled down the path.

The mayor cried out.

“You came back! You all came back! – and with water!” he shouted.

They all smiled and cheered. Filling the fountain back up, it flowed as plentiful as once before.

“I don’t understand,” said the mayor as he turned to the old couple. “The fountain had run dry. It shouldn’t be working.”

The old woman stepped forward and pointed at the mayor’s eyes.

“Your tears had dripped into the fountain before it had completely dried. The fountain is still alive.”

The mayor looked at his glorious fountain. The children frolicked and tossed flower petals in the water. The townsfolk drank merrily and chatted with old friends.

And the mayor watched, with a thoughtful promise to never turn his back on his town again – and he grabbed his cup and filled it to the brim. Taking a sip, he glanced down at his cup of water. It was salty, like tears.