“You have to dip your body in the pool. You’ll have to travel far.” The medicine woman (Theta) was actually his aunt and god-mother; she knew that that was what he had to do. She could only advise him upon his request.

Rain was a tall and handsome lad, but not too bright. Learning was hard for him, but he held the most unusual talent, he could paint and carve things out from memory. 

He scratched his head, trying to figure out what the old lady meant. She had always been kind to him; he did not understand her at times. Her brew was magic, it did wonders. He wished to win the hand of a maiden (Myst), who was not interested in him or any man. He had asked her countless time if she would marry him. She would be gentle with him, saying only fate would make things happen. This too puzzled him. He would prefer a response to be “yes or no.” 

He would continue his art, in the mean time he followed the instructions Theta gave him. He did not know what “far” meant. He had the strength and energy to go as long as it would take him, to reach the “pool” to dip in. He didn’t know what it would do, or change. He felt he was alright, he didn’t know that he was mentally incapable to figure things out. Working on his art was easy. He saw things in his mind and went to work, and sure enough the piece would turn out magnificent. He could sell them easily, but he had enough money that his parents left him. And he was able to hunt and fish for sustenance. The rest would come without problems.

He decided he would build a house, something he had seen in a picture. A log cabin, a complex model, he knew he could do it. The dip in the pool would help him to accomplish the task he had before him. He trusted Theta. He had shared his plans with her. She smiled and said that the only thing that would help him would be to travel “far” to the pool. 

Upon his travel, he saw many things, met people, talked to artisans. He asked many questions and got answers. In fact he worked with a carpenter for awhile. The carpenter saw his ability; so he hired him to build a cabin. It resembled the one he was planning to build for himself. He found out where he could get the material, he had most of the tools. Instead of using nails, he would miter the pieces together; everything went together perfectly. The carpenter was amazed. “You are a genius with wood, and carpentry. You could do anything you put your mind to do.”

Rain smiled and thanked him for his praise. He was a gracious man, and humble. He got along well with everyone.

By the time he got to the pool, he had absorbed what he needed to accomplish his ambition. Build, carve, and he also shared his gifts with anyone.

When he reached his destination, he dived into the deep pool; when he looked down to the bottom, he saw a ring, without hesitation he put the ring on his finger. Immediately his mind became clear.

He returned home to share what he experienced to Theta. She said that he had to return the ring, it had cured him, it was intended for other people to use. At first it angered Rain, why did he have to. After all, it was there and he found it first? 

Theta noticed that he was becoming mean and selfish. She should have kept the secret of the ring to herself, but she thought Rain was strong enough to overcome the evil tendencies that the ring would bring.

He built the house and became wealthy by selling off the pieces he had made. He even got Myst’s attention by his accomplishments.

He was so busy accumulating his wealth and fame; he forgot to pay attention to the people who loved him. He bragged and was self-seeking. 

Soon he was a banker and made more money to add to his wealth. 

Theta went to him one day and asked to look at the ring. He could not believe what he heard. “Why do you need to look at it?”

She said that if he did not take it off soon, he would destroy himself and those around him. She needed to return the ring to the pool, because it was cursed. She loved Rain and loved his simple ways. It was a mistake to tell him about the pool. She thought he would disregard the ring. It was not too late; she had a plan.

She asked him over to dinner. She cooked his favorite dish, but added a spice that would cast a spell on him. He would sleep, and whilst in that state, she would take the ring and have her raven return the ring to the pool.

The day came and everything worked the way as planned. He fell asleep and she took the ring off his finger. He slept all through the night. When he awoke, he was his old self again; plain, simple, and filled with love for his fellow man.

He eventually married his beloved Myst. She bore him many children. They lived happily ever after. 

He still thinks of the ring…it was a lesson learned; the ring was cursed, it only brought greed and grief.