At the heart of the arid salt plains, where the land is unforgiving & few plants grow, stands a mysterious & majestic palace, home to the caretakers of the one stream that runs through this dry desert. Its marble walls stretch high into the sky, encircling the palace in a ring of pure white. But the sun here beats down so fiercely that all those who laid their eyes upon on the palace’s brilliantine white walls would instantly be blinded by its shining glare. For this reason, each morning a team of the stream caretakers departs to the plains to find the sprawling cactus plants that dot the landscape. They carefully slice open the cactus & remove the pure white sap from inside its protective husk. Returning to the palace bearing pails of the carefully harvested sap, they gently apply it with sponges to the walls of the palace, already hot from the morning sunrays. The light & creamy liquid dissolves into the walls, allowing the heat to breathe its way out & the surface to a