After leaving that place The Teacher said to those gathered around (for he saw they were troubled by having lost former sureties):
A young jurist went on a journey once with two officers of his law. All three men were young and eager to leave the jurisdiction of their home valley. Their destination was a city in the desert without the laws forbidding games of chance or betting which were enforced among their own people. After a few days’ travel one of the bailiffs tried to poison the jurist (because of a slight from beforehand and because they were now outside the reach of the law) but he was interrupted in the process by an attack from robbers thereby leaving the jurist alive (the poison only half consumed). In fact, the jurist ended up saving the life of his would-be poisoner leaving him in a blood debt to the jurist, which is a deeper law beyond borders. The partial dose of poison allowed the jurist to see with fallow vision, which shook him sorely, but he recovered. By and by they arrived at the destination and found their lodgings and prepared to win their riches with games and betting. The next day one of the bailiffs had not returned to the suite from the previous night’s revelry, it was the kinder one who hadn’t tried to poison the jurist. For, despite what many gamblers believe, Justice is not woven into the weft of the world. And the other two searched for him as best they could but found him not. You see, he had been taken as collateral for his rapidly accrued gambling debts. His single night of profligate living had caught up with him. The other bailiff gave up easily and abandoned the lad, preferring himself to fight in the gladiatorial pits, for he loved violence more than his friend. The jurist, however, did not give up so easily and wandered the streets in search of a solution. He befriended a local, became successful as a chess playing shark, and considered never returning to his valley now that he had no escort for the return journey. He spoke to travellers from the south and learned that they consider this place the ultimate arena of justice which confused him greatly. But it was because they believe in Gods of luck who reward and punish the secrets of the heart, while his people reward and punish only actions and worshipped no gods. In the end he must leave the city alone thinking that both his companions are dead. From the desert outside the city he can have a birds' eye vantage point that reveals the impending downfall of the city itself. He saw both his former companions again now drafted into mercenary bands and at odds with each other. It's chaos but he also realises that it was, in a way, all inevitable. The house was built on sand. What surprised him is that he knew within himself now that he cannot return to his home, not without the other two. Honestly, he thought to himself, not with them either. So begrudgingly he began to walk north as a negation of east, west, and south. After a time he began to meet refugees from his home upon the road. It too was at war apparently and this gave him some sense of justification with regard to his choice to leave it behind. Finally, we presume, he takes up a life above the falls in a diasporic community with its own syncretic ways, whether or not he is able to embrace them and live out his days remains unknown.
This parable was not understood by most of the hearers due to its many details and ambiguous dichotomies. So, the senior initiate attempted to exegize to his siblings thusly: “surely the jurist is the Heart of man and the companions are Punishment and Reward. To fully be free from both the River (representing excessive stricture and severity) and the Wicked City (representing profligacy, lewdness and caprice) he must abandon his companions. To find his new home he must strike out alone, thus every student must walk this road. The Teacher smiled but did not nod.
