Ghost waters.....

As a child, I remember my mum driving and little me sitting on the passenger seat gazing onto the horizon; on clear sunny days, I'd vividly see a dazzling layer of what looked like the ocean.
Mum drove closer and the water wasn't there any more; not after the distance was covered. It had moved, it was a little bit further now. Somewhere back to the horizon.

I eventually asked mum about it and she explained that it was 'Ghost Waters'.

The kind of water that kept desert travellers alive, giving them hope that if they stretched a little bit more and reached out a little bit further they would eventually get rewarded; an Oasis of cool clear water surrounded by clusters of date palms and peach trees was awaiting.
They could almost hear the droning sounds from the rainbow coloured dragonflies as they swooped across the water and the humming sounds of the beautiful hummingbirds as they dove their beaks into the colourful petals of the hibiscus looking for sweet nectar.
They could almost hear the palm tree leaves rattling, inviting them in for a drink.
Such is life,  a façade of ghost waters awaiting our arrival..... And just when we think we have reached our destination, the distance doubles and we realise that we have to work harder.
But we keep marching on, until we eventually get to our Oasis.

“Trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.” ― Molière