The smooth sound of brushstrokes upon a canvas was all that could be heard.  The golden sun, bearing down on two brave souls.  Seeking inspiration, and attempting to capture the beauty of the wild Australian Outback.  Sitting three meters away from Moses, was his colleague, Cleo.  He offered her a cup of water as she continued to recreate the beauty which she had found.  The remains of a long dead cow, whose whitened bones emanated a sense of mortality, as its skull glared back at her.  Moses didn’t think that it would make a good painting.  He tried to convince Cleo to paint something else, and that no one would pay money for a painting of a dead cow. 

“It’s not amount how much money we earn.  We are artists, here to capture the beauty of nature.  This land has so much to offer, and we must respect that.  Mother nature is more powerful than you can ever imagine, and this cow shows how mortal we all are, especially in an environment such as this.  If we don’t treat this land with respect, we will end up like this cow.  We would be dead, and no one would know.”

Moses snickered; kicked sand onto the abandoned skeleton, and walked off. 

Cleo continued painting throughout the day, while Moses sat in the shade of a large cassia tree, with a bottle of water in his hand from which he drank.  By nightfall, the temperature had become frigid.  Both Cleo and Moses slept under the outstretched arms of the cassia, as the sounds of the outback suddenly became alive with the constant drone of insects.

Both Moses and Cleo woke early in the morning, it was still dark, and the winds were howling.  They began to plan their day, and by dawn, they had decided to drive around, and look for further inspiration.  An hour into the drive, they stumbled upon a colossal dune.  The hot wind had intensified, and visibility was compromised due to the fierce sandstorm caused by the winds.  Moses suggested that they venture to the other side of the dune.  Cleo brushed this suggestion aside, thinking he was joking.  Moses assured her that everything would be fine.

“Imagine the view from the peak. We will only be out for a few minutes.  Besides, how could a little bit of wind cause us any harm?” he argued.

“But this is exactly what I was talking about before.  You never show any respect for the power of nature.  The outback is a harsh place, and we need to respect it” Cleo replied.

“I’ve had enough of your tree hugging attitude!  We came here for one reason, and that was to create masterpieces.  We  can’t do that by sitting in the car all day.  Were climbing that dune!”

 The dune silently watched them debate, as it towered over them.