Meanwhile, on the morning of the third day, Sid, the knight in the white cape, had the same exact idea that Nott had had. He also knew that the Gnome was the one to ask where the Magic Clover would grow. All day long he tried to find him. He asked many strange creatures and finally found the Gnome just a few minutes after Nott had left him grumbling at one of the entrances of his cavern, with its infinite corridors.
“Are you the Gnome of the Enchanted Forest, the one they call Prince of the Earth?” Sid asked, as he got off his horse.
“Yes, that’s me. Oh boy, another enlightened mind! And what is it that you want?”
“Well, you see, I have been told that five days from today, a four-leaf Magic Cloverwill grow in the forest and—” Sid could not finish his sentence. The Gnome turned as red as a tomato and breathed in air, making his chest and face look like they were going to blow up.
“What on Earth is the deal with this Magic Clover? I already told the other knight: There-have-never-been-magic-clovers-in-this-forest: Clover cannot grow in this forest, it’s that simple. Whoever told you it can is wrong. Or he is tricking you, or maybe he had too much to drink. You are better off returning to your castle or rescuing some lady who might be in danger. You are wasting your time here.”
Sid figured out that something was going on: according to Merlin, the Magic Clover would grow in the forest, and according to the Gnome, it was impossible that under the given conditions any clover could ever grow in the Enchanted Forest. Both were probably telling the truth. So to keep on looking for the Magic Clover was a waste of time. If under the given conditions no clover could grow there, the thing to do was to find out what was needed for lover to grow. And so Sid asked the Gnome as he tried to appease him:
“Hold on, hold on. Are you saying that clover has never grown . . . anywhere in the Enchanted Forest?”
“Never! Never indeed!” insisted the Gnome, grumbling as he walked toward his home.
“Don’t leave, don’t leave just yet, please. Tell me why. I want to know why clover has never grown in the forest.”
The Gnome turned around and answered: “It is the soil. Obviously, the reason is the soil. No one has ever changed this soil. Nobody has ever bothered to work this soil, to improve it. Clover needs new soil to grow and the soil in this forest has never been renewed. It has always been the same. How do you expect clover to grow here?”
“Therefore, Gnome, Prince of the Earth, if I wanted to have a chance, just one chance to see a clover plant grow in the forest . . . should I renew the soil, should I change it?”
“Of course. Don’t you know that you achieve new things only when you do new things? If the soil doesn’t change, things will remain the same: no clover will grow.”
“And do you know where I could find some new soil?”
The Gnome had almost entirely disappeared into his den and his hand was about to close the wooden door that communicated with the world above. But he answered Sid:
“There’s some new soil close to the land of the Cowls, just a few miles from here. It is virgin soil that has never been used. The Cowls, the dwarf cows with twelve legs, use that soil to as a privy, so it is full of manure. That really is good fresh soil.”
The knight thanked the Gnome effusively. He mounted his white horse with enthusiasm and quickly rode to the land of the Cowls. He knew his chances were slim but at least it was a step forward...
The next day, very early in the morning, Nott was already looking for the clover in the forest. And this was his first thought:
“The Magic Cloverwill grow from the soil. And who is it that best knows each and every palm of ground in the Enchanted Forest? That’s easy: The Prince of the Earth. In other words, the Gnome. The Gnome lives underground and has built tunnels and corridors throughout the Enchanted Forest. He will tell me where the four-leaf Magic Clover will grow.”
So Nott, the knight with the black cape and black horse, asked all the strange creatures he met on his way where the Gnome was to be found, until, finally, he met him.
“What is it that you want?” asked the Gnome. “People have been telling me you’ve been looking for me all day long.”
“That’s right,” answered Nott as he got off his horse. “I have been told that five days from today, a four-leaf Magic Clover will grow in the forest. And clover can only grow from the soil, so you, Prince of the Earth, must know where it will grow. You are the only one who knows each millimeter of soil under this immense forest. You know better than anyone the roots of all the plants, bushes, and trees that grow in this forest. If the four-leaf Magic Cloveris going to grow five days from today, you must have seen its roots already. Tell me where it is.”
“Hmmm,” meditated the Gnome.
“You know as well as I,” continued Nott, “that the Magic Clover brings unlimited luck only to knights, so it is of no value to you, since you are a gnome, or to any of the inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest. Tell me where it will grow. I know you know.”
“I know the power of the four-leaf Magic Clover. And I have all the luck I need as Prince of the Earth; you’d be welcome to the clover if you could find it. But I have not seen its roots anywhere in the forest. In fact, clover has never grown in the Enchanted Forest. It is impossible that this clover will grow here. Whoever told you so has probably lied to you.”
“Are you sure you’re not the liar? I hope you have not told Sid, the knight with the white cape and white horse, where the clover will grow!” exclaimed Nott angrily.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about! I don’t know who Sid is, and I have no idea who has told you this nonsense. Not a single clover plant has ever grown in this forest, not even clover with three leaves. Quite simply, clover doesn’t grow in this forest because it can’t. So leave me alone. I have lived in this forest for over a hundred and fifty years and no one ever asked me such a stupid question. And now, good-bye to you!”
Nott, the knight with the black cape, realized it would be useless to insist. So he mounted his horse, turned around, and decided to wait until the next day. After all, Gnome could be right and Merlin might have been wrong in the place or the timing.
At that moment, Nott felt how people feel when they are told that luck is not on their side: He felt some fear. But the easiest thing to do is to substitute skepticism: to tell yourself, “That simply can’t be.” That’s the reply that makes the fear of having no luck recede. And that’s exactly what Nott thought. That’s why he decided not to listen to the Gnome. Nott would spend some time refusing to believe what the Gnome had told him. He would do just that during the next day.
Traveling through the kingdom to reach the Enchanted Forest was treacherous and draining, and it took both knights two days to reach the place. That left only five days to find the Magic Clover. They had no time to waste. However, both knights decided to rest and begin their search the next morning.
The knights had traveled separately and did not meet in any of the stops they made to rest or to let their horses drink. Neither of them knew where the other was in the forest.
The forest was very dark. It was dark even during the day because the thick and huge tree canopy blocked the sun. The night was cold and silent. The inhabitants of the Enchanted Forest were aware of the presence of the two newcomers.
Many are those who want Good Luck, but few are those willing to pursue it.
A long time ago, in a very distant kingdom, Merlin the wizard gathered all the knights in the area. He took them to the castle’s gardens and told them:
“For a long time, many of you have asked me for a challenge. Some of you have suggested I organize a tournament among all the knights in the kingdom. Others have asked that I hold a contest to prove your ability with the spear and sword. However, I am going to propose a different challenge.”
Expectations were very high. Merlin continued:
“I have heard that in our kingdom, seven days from today, a Magic Cloverwill grow.”
The knights whispered to one another. They felt restless. Some knew what he was talking about. Others didn’t. Merlin shushed them all.
“Be calm! Be calm! Let me explain what the Magic Clover is. It is the only four-leaf clover that gives its owner a unique power: unlimited luck. No limits in time or space. It brings luck in combat, in business, in love, in riches . . . luck with no limits!”
The knights talked among themselves once again with great excitement. They all wanted to find the four-leaf Magic Clover. Some even stood up, crying out shouts of victory.
Again, Merlin managed to calm them down and continued:
“Be calm! Be calm! I haven’t told you everything yet. The four-leaf Clover will grow in the Enchanted Forest, beyond the twelve hills, behind the Valley of Oblivion. I have no idea about the exact place, but somewhere in the Forest, the Clover will appear.”
All the excitement the knights had shown at the beginning vanished. First there was silence, then sighs of discouragement were heard. The Enchanted Forest was as big as all the inhabited area of the kingdom. It comprised thousands and thousands of acres of thick forest. How could a tiny four-leaf clover be found in such a vast area? Finding a needle in a barn would have been a thousand times easier! At least the latter would have been a reasonable challenge.
Facing such an impossible challenge, most of the knights started to leave the royal castle, groaning and looking with disapproval at Merlin as they filed past him.
“Let me know when you have a reasonable challenge,” said one.
“Had I known, I wouldn’t have bothered to come,” said someone else.
“What a challenge! Why didn’t you send us to a desert to find a blue grain of sand? That would have been easier,” said another knight ironically.
One after another, all the knights left the garden and returned to their horses. At last only two knights were left.
“Well?” asked Merlin. “You are not leaving?” One of the two knights, whose name was Nott and who wore a black cape, said:
“I know it will be difficult. The Enchanted Forest is huge. But I know someone who can help me. I think I can find that clover. I will look for the four-leaf Magic Clover. The clover will be mine.”
The other knight, whose name was Sid and who wore a white cape, remained in silence, until Merlin looked at him, trying to find out what he was thinking. Then he said:
“If you say that the four-leaf Magic Clover, the clover of unlimited luck, will be found in the forest, I believe it shall be that way. I trust you. That’s why I shall go to the forest.”
So being, both knights headed toward the Enchanted Forest, Nott riding his black horse and Sid riding his white horse.
Good Luck: Creating the Conditions for Success in Life & Business
by Alex Rovira and Fernando Trias De Bes
Wiley, September 2004
Hardcover, 128p
Luck doesn’t last long,
because it does not depend on you.
Good Luck is created by each of us:
that’s why it lasts forever.