The Keeper of the Quiet River
High in the mist-shrouded mountains, Silas was appointed guardian of the crystal river that fed the downstream villages. His duty was to clear fallen branches and prevent debris from blocking the pure flow of water. Over time, Silas grew weary and began to ignore the smaller twigs, thinking they were harmless nuisances that required too much effort to remove. By autumn, those neglected branches had trapped silt and leaves, creating a massive dam that choked the river and left the lower valleys completely dry. Stricken with remorse, Silas labored through freezing nights to break the barrier. He learned the hard way that small neglected duties inevitably snowball into catastrophic failures if left unattended.
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