Ashes

I dreamt that I was sifting through the ashes of a great house fire. Almost nothing was left of the structure or it's contents, certainly nothing of any real value. But I knew of a secret, tiny gem that had been hidden in this house.  And though difficult to find, being a jewel it would have survived the terrible conflagration.

It was a small, plain diamond, no bigger than a seed. It was not worth very much monetarily, and was not impressive when compared alongside others.   But it had a beauty that I appreciated.  And most of all, I loved it.  And I was unwilling to just walk away and leave it there, unknown to any eye.

Friends urged me to give up my search. They were weary of my insistence on combing over the crumbling ruins for something of value. It was a waste of time, they said.  Even if I found it, they said, it was not worth the effort I was putting into it.  I was just beginning to follow them as they walked away from the debris.  But I glanced back over my shoulder, and decided I must stay and look one last time.  And there, as the sun set and the light faded, I saw it.  Smudged and dirty, it barely glinted under an enormous charred beam.

But as I rubbed it in my fingers, attempting to remove the soot and ashes, I slowly realized that it was not the jewel I had thought it was.   My heart saddened as the truth slowly dawned.  I had been mistaken about it's value all along.  It was just a plain little rock after all.

I woke in my bed, un-rested, with tears in my eyes.  And I thought how it would have been better if I had given up looking, and had never known the truth.