The pilot stares at the well, amazed. It is complete with a pulley and a bucket, the kind of set-up that could provide water for a whole village. He looks around but sees no village. He wonders if it is a dream.

The little prince laughs at the pilot’s amazement and begins to draw up water. The rope creaks, and he says it is singing. The pilot, who is beginning to love the prince and worry about him, takes over the hard work of pulling the heavy bucket. When it reaches the top, he pauses and stares at the beauty of the sun’s reflection on the water.

The little prince asks for some of the water to drink. The pilot understands that the prince does not really need the water itself. He needs the magical, invisible quality that is contained within the water. He takes a long drink, and then he says that the people of Earth can grow thousands of roses and never know what they really want:

And yet what they’re looking for could be found in a single rose, or a little water....But eyes are blind. You have to look with your heart.

Next, the pilot drinks the water. It refreshes him and leaves him feeling better. He sits looking at the beauty of the desert, but he also feels sad without understanding why.

The prince mumbles that the pilot has to keep his promise and draw a muzzle for the sheep. Obediently, the pilot takes out his drawings. The little prince looks at them and laughs at their poor quality. This hurts the pilot’s feelings a little, and he explains that he never had any practice except for his two childhood drawings of boa constrictors. The little prince says it does not matter: “Children understand.”

After the pilot draws the muzzle, the prince comments that tomorrow will be the one-year anniversary of his arrival on earth. He adds that his landing point was very close by. Now the pilot realizes for the first time why he and the prince met. The little prince is on his way to his landing point; he wants to go home. The little prince tries to prevent the pilot from feeling sad, but the pilot cannot help loving the prince. He goes back to work on his plane, thinking that, like the fox, he now knows what it means to be tamed. Like the fox, he knows that the experience of friendship is worth it—even though it can bring sadness and loss.