Chương 231: Starting from the base

A young child leaned over the edge of the old stone well, arms stretched down to grip the coarse, frayed rope attached to a wooden bucket. With a determined furrow in his brow, he gave a strong tug, starting the slow pull of the bucket up from the deep, cool darkness below.

The bucket swayed and sloshed as he drew it closer, spilling droplets of water that caught the early morning light. Finally, with one last pull, he lifted it over the rim, carefully balancing it on the edge of the well. The child's fingers trembled slightly as he lifted the bucket, tiny trails of water spilling onto the dusty ground and dampening his bare feet,as he tried to drip the water into his bucket.