There was a man who dug a well for water
The man dug 20 feet deep, but no water
So he shored the walls and placed a light there at 20 feet and kept digging
The man dug to 40 feet deep, but again he found no water
So he shored the walls of the well and placed another light and kept digging
The man dug to 60 feet, but still no water
So he shored up that section and placed another light and kept digging
When at 79 and a half feet deep the man suddenly felt his shovel slide into soft wet sand
Water! He had finally hit water!
The man looked up with satisfaction through the long dim shaft above him
He peered up at the shoring, eerily holding back the earth
And he looked down at the dark and glimmering pool of water
Which was quickly beginning to rise around his feet
So the man climbed up, up out of the well and sat down at the top
And he waited for the bottom of the well to fill with cold clear water to drink.
When the time was right the man began to lower a bucket on a rope
Measuring out the length as it went
When the bucket was 20 feet deep he heard a small sound
Like pebbles splashing into the water below
When the bucket was at 40 feet he heard another sound
This time like small rocks splashing down into the water
At 60 feet he heard yet another sound
‘Ker-splash!’ the sound of a big chunk of something plunging into the water below
When at 79 and a half feet deep there was nothing but a great THUD!
The rope was yanked from the man’s hands
And a giant poof of dirt shot up from the well into his face.
For a moment the man was devastated, all that work for nothing
But the man would not be deterred
Immediately the man began digging another well
He dug to 20 feet, down to 40 feet, to 60 feet deep
And for each section down he doubled the shoring, so to doubly hold back the earth
And for each section he doubled the lights, so to doubly see if each part was held secure
When at 79 and a half feet deep the man again struck water!
So up, up he climbed, and he sat down at the top of his well
And again the man waited for the well to fill with cold clear water to drink.
When the time was right he again began to lower a bucket on a rope
Measuring out the length as it went
The man lowered it down, down, down, listening for any sound
At 20 feet, all was silent
At 40, not a drop was heard
At 60 feet deep, nothing but the squeak of the handle on the bucket.
When at 79 and a half feet deep the bucket splashed, and tipped
And filled with cold clear water to drink
Quickly pulling it up, the man gulped down the cold clear water straight from the bucket
Cold water splashing all over his face, soaking down the front of his shirt.
Quenched of thirst and fully satisfied the man sat down next to his well
He peered down the deep dark well, and listened
Suddenly he thought he heard a small snap and a pop
And one small drip echoed up from the bottom of well below
The man froze, he listened, intently peering down the well
But alas, the well fell silent.
For many, many months the man drank the cold clear water from the well
And friends and neighbors came to share in all the quenchingly-good water
Day after day, buckets and buckets went down and up the well without a worry
But each evening after all had gone
The man would sit down next to his well and listen, and peer down into the deep darkness
Waiting for a sound, any sound at all.
