1
The morning light was still soft when Tomás spread his samples across the floor of his small house.
The children arrived early, as always. Xiao Wang came with his bark notebook. Mei carried her flat stone. Li Wei had a new leaf, carefully pressed. Little Feng had found a piece of cloth and wanted to use it as a notebook.
They sat in a circle around the samples, eyes wide.
What is all this? - Wang asked.
Tomás pointed to each pile.
Soil from the spring. Soil from the forest. Soil from Granny Liu's garden. Soil from the barren field. And this - he held up the jar - is water from the spring.
The children leaned in to look.
The water is clear - Mei observed.
Yes. But it tastes different. Sweet. I think there is something in it. Something small, that we cannot see.
Li Wei frowned.
How can something be in water if we cannot see it?
Tomás smiled.
Good question. In my world, we have tools that let us see very small things. I don't have those tools here. But I have other ways to learn.
He picked up a leaf of the shuǐ jīng cǎo, the water crystal grass.
This plant grows only at the spring. Shi says it is used for eyesight. Maybe it can help us see what is in the water.
2
Tomás had an idea.
He took a small amount of spring water and poured it into a clean clay bowl. Then he took a tiny piece of the shuǐ jīng cǎo leaf and crushed it into the water.
The children watched in silence.
The water began to change. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, it started to glow. A faint, soft light, like moonlight on snow.
Tomás's heart raced.
Look. The plant reacts to the water. Something in the water makes it glow.
The children gasped.
It's beautiful - Mei whispered.
Tomás took a different bowl, with village water from the well. He added another piece of the crushed leaf. Nothing happened. The water stayed clear, dark, ordinary.
Only the spring water. Only that water makes the plant glow.
Wang looked at him with wide eyes.
So the spring water has... líng?
Tomás nodded slowly.
Yes. I think so. The líng is in the water. The plants absorb it. The animals drink it. That's why everything there glows.
3
They spent the rest of the morning testing.
Tomás used the crushed shuǐ jīng cǎo leaf as a kind of test strip. He added it to different waters: spring water, well water, rainwater, water from the stream near the village.
Only the spring water made it glow.
He tried different amounts. A tiny drop of spring water in a bowl of well water still made it glow, though faintly. The more spring water, the brighter the glow.
This is a way to measure - he said, almost to himself - A way to see how much líng is in the water.
The children did not fully understand, but they could see it was important.
So the spring has a lot of líng - Wang said.
Yes. And the well has almost none. The stream has a little, maybe, but not much.
Mei pointed to the glowing bowl.
Can we use this to find other places? With líng water?
Tomás stared at her. Then he laughed.
Mei, that's brilliant. Yes. If we find other springs, other places, we can test the water. We can find where líng is strong.
Mei smiled, shy but proud.
4
That afternoon, Tomás went to Wei Chen's house.
The scholar was reading by his window. When Tomás showed him the glowing water, his eyes widened.
This is... this is like the old texts. They say that in spiritual places, the water shines at night. I thought it was poetry.
Tomás shook his head.
It's real. The water has something in it. Something that makes this plant glow.
Wei Chen took the bowl carefully, holding it up to the light.
Can we use this to find other places? Other springs?
Tomás nodded.
Mei had the same idea. Yes. We can search. But slowly. The forest is dangerous.
Wei Chen was quiet for a moment. Then he said:
There is another place. In the old texts. A lake, in the mountains. It is said that the water there is like liquid light.
Tomás felt a thrill.
A lake? How far?
Far. Many days. Too dangerous now.
Tomás nodded. Not yet. But someday.
We will go. When we are ready.
5
That evening, by the fire, Tomás gathered the children.
He showed them the glowing water again. They had seen it already, but it still amazed them.
You helped today - he said - Wang, with your notes. Mei, with your idea. Li Wei, with your questions. Feng, with your... with your smile.
Little Feng grinned.
Tomás held up the bowl.
This is a new tool. With this, we can find places where líng is strong. We can study them. We can learn how líng works.
Wang raised his hand.
Can we go to the spring? Someday?
Tomás thought.
Maybe. When you are older. When you understand the dangers. But yes. Someday, you will see it.
The children nodded, dreaming of glowing water and shining plants.
6
Later, alone in his house, Tomás wrote in his notebook.
He wrote about the shuǐ jīng cǎo and its reaction to spring water. About the new tool he had discovered. About Mei's idea to search for other places.
He wrote about the lake in the mountains, waiting to be explored.
Then he wrote:
Today was a good day. A day of discovery.
I found a way to see líng. Not directly, but through this plant. The water from the spring makes it glow. The more líng, the brighter the glow.
This is how science works. One discovery leads to another. The spring led to the plant. The plant led to the test. The test will lead to new places, new discoveries.
The children are learning. Wang observes. Mei thinks. Li Wei questions. Feng... Feng reminds me why this matters. For them. For their future.
We are building something here. Not just knowledge. A way of thinking. A way of seeing the world.
Y mañana, más.
He closed the notebook and looked out the door.
The Shenmu stood dark against the stars. Somewhere beyond it, the spring glowed softly in the night, its water full of líng, its plants shining like dreams.
Un día a la vez. One day at a time.