(no subject)
One day, I was walking through a forest and I heard this strange sound, so I decided to find out where the sound was coming from. I walked through the forest a bit more and stumbled upon a hidden clearing. I found a group of monks there, who were chatting about something in a strange language.
So I asked the monks what they were chatting about, and they said that they were talking about some really awesome thing...the most awesome thing that anybody has ever seen. So I asked them what the thing was, but they said that only monks could know what it was.
Disappointed, I went home. That night, I couldn't sleep. I needed to know what it was that the monks were talking about that was so awesome. So, I got out of bed and went back to the monks. I asked one of the monks about becoming a monk.
"To become a monk, you have to undergo various tests and trials. Only once you have completed these tests will you be considered to be a monk."
I told the monk that I had to know what it was that the monks were always chatting about, and that I was fully prepared to go through the tests to become a monk. The monk nodded his head and said, "Very well. Your training will begin immediately." The monk picked up a wooden bucket and handed it to me. "Your first test is to take this bucket down to the lake, fill it to the brim with water, and bring it back to me without spilling a single drop."
So I took the bucket down to the lake, which was about three miles away, and filled it up. But, after I had gone ten steps, I tripped and the bucket spilled a little. So, I went back to the lake and filled it up again. This time I went thirty steps before spilling any water. I filled up the bucket again, and walked back almost two miles, and then tripped. So I went back to the lake and filled up the bucket again.
This time, I got back to the monk, but spilled the water just before I gave him the bucket. So, I had to go back and fill it up again. I finally got back to the monk and gave him the bucket without spilling it.
"Good! You have passed your first test. Your second test is to stand on this post for an entire day without falling off."
So, I climbed up the post and started to stand on it. But an hour later, a strong wind came and threw me off balance. I climbed back up again, and was able to stand on it for four entire hours before falling off again. The next time, I was able to stand on it for 22 hours, but then fell asleep and fell off. Finally, I was able to stand on it for 24 hours.
"Very good, my apprentice. You have passed the second test. You now must follow me on a very long and strenuous journey."
So, we set off through the woods. We walked for about five miles when I asked, "How much longer is this journey?" But the monk would not tell me. We walked, and we walked, and we walked, and soon it dawned on me that we were journeying to the location of the most awesome thing ever, and I was filled with joy and exhiliration.
We walked over an entire valley, and saw the sun set three times before we finally reached a tall mountain range. "Is the thing in the mountain?" I asked, but he would not answer. We simply kept walking. It took us two entire weeks to scale the mountain, but I knew that the thing was just over the mountain range. I could feel it. And as we reached the top of the mountain... I saw...
Another valley. I sighed as I saw that this second valley was at least four times as wide as the first one. It took us almost two months to walk through it. And when we got out of it, the sun was just rising, and in the midst of the sunrise, I saw... another mountain.
Four months later, we were finally over the mountain, and there before us was a huge temple. "Is the thing in the temple?" I asked. But the monk said nothing. We began to climb the temple stairs, 700 in all. At the top of the temple, there was a vast stone door. My heart began to pound as the monk took a key out of his pocket. He put the key in the keyhole, and started to turn the key. Ever so slowly, he turned the key. And...wrong key. He tried another key, and it worked.
Suddenly, the door began to open slowly. And behind the door...more stairs. We walked down almost a thousand stairs. These stairs took many left and right turns, until finally we reached the bottom. At the bottom of the stairs were two gigantic golden doors, engraved with markings from an ancient civilization. I thought to myself, "This is it. The most awesome thing in the world is behind these doors." My palms began to sweat, and my heart began to pound. I started to get really dizzy and almost fell over, when the monk slowly pushed open the right door.
More stairs.
We climb the stairs. After about four thousand stairs, there before us was the biggest door I had ever seen before in my life. It was carved out of a single stone, and was entrusted with diamonds and gems the size of watermelons. Desperate, I begged the monk to tell me if the thing was behind this door.
"Yes, it is." he replied.
My heart leaped inside my chest. I could not believe that I was about to find out what it was that the monks had been talking about this whole time. And slowly, ever so slowly, the monk put a key into the massive lock of the door. Slowly, he turned the key.
Wrong key. He took the key out and tried another one. This time, the key was the right one, and he slowly unlocked the lock. The lock clicked open, and the door gave a slight release of tension. The monk looked at me, and turned back to the door. Ever so slowly, he pulled the door open. A bright white light began to shine out from the crack in the door. And I stood there, speechless. There it was...
So I asked the monks what they were chatting about, and they said that they were talking about some really awesome thing...the most awesome thing that anybody has ever seen. So I asked them what the thing was, but they said that only monks could know what it was.
Disappointed, I went home. That night, I couldn't sleep. I needed to know what it was that the monks were talking about that was so awesome. So, I got out of bed and went back to the monks. I asked one of the monks about becoming a monk.
"To become a monk, you have to undergo various tests and trials. Only once you have completed these tests will you be considered to be a monk."
I told the monk that I had to know what it was that the monks were always chatting about, and that I was fully prepared to go through the tests to become a monk. The monk nodded his head and said, "Very well. Your training will begin immediately." The monk picked up a wooden bucket and handed it to me. "Your first test is to take this bucket down to the lake, fill it to the brim with water, and bring it back to me without spilling a single drop."
So I took the bucket down to the lake, which was about three miles away, and filled it up. But, after I had gone ten steps, I tripped and the bucket spilled a little. So, I went back to the lake and filled it up again. This time I went thirty steps before spilling any water. I filled up the bucket again, and walked back almost two miles, and then tripped. So I went back to the lake and filled up the bucket again.
This time, I got back to the monk, but spilled the water just before I gave him the bucket. So, I had to go back and fill it up again. I finally got back to the monk and gave him the bucket without spilling it.
"Good! You have passed your first test. Your second test is to stand on this post for an entire day without falling off."
So, I climbed up the post and started to stand on it. But an hour later, a strong wind came and threw me off balance. I climbed back up again, and was able to stand on it for four entire hours before falling off again. The next time, I was able to stand on it for 22 hours, but then fell asleep and fell off. Finally, I was able to stand on it for 24 hours.
"Very good, my apprentice. You have passed the second test. You now must follow me on a very long and strenuous journey."
So, we set off through the woods. We walked for about five miles when I asked, "How much longer is this journey?" But the monk would not tell me. We walked, and we walked, and we walked, and soon it dawned on me that we were journeying to the location of the most awesome thing ever, and I was filled with joy and exhiliration.
We walked over an entire valley, and saw the sun set three times before we finally reached a tall mountain range. "Is the thing in the mountain?" I asked, but he would not answer. We simply kept walking. It took us two entire weeks to scale the mountain, but I knew that the thing was just over the mountain range. I could feel it. And as we reached the top of the mountain... I saw...
Another valley. I sighed as I saw that this second valley was at least four times as wide as the first one. It took us almost two months to walk through it. And when we got out of it, the sun was just rising, and in the midst of the sunrise, I saw... another mountain.
Four months later, we were finally over the mountain, and there before us was a huge temple. "Is the thing in the temple?" I asked. But the monk said nothing. We began to climb the temple stairs, 700 in all. At the top of the temple, there was a vast stone door. My heart began to pound as the monk took a key out of his pocket. He put the key in the keyhole, and started to turn the key. Ever so slowly, he turned the key. And...wrong key. He tried another key, and it worked.
Suddenly, the door began to open slowly. And behind the door...more stairs. We walked down almost a thousand stairs. These stairs took many left and right turns, until finally we reached the bottom. At the bottom of the stairs were two gigantic golden doors, engraved with markings from an ancient civilization. I thought to myself, "This is it. The most awesome thing in the world is behind these doors." My palms began to sweat, and my heart began to pound. I started to get really dizzy and almost fell over, when the monk slowly pushed open the right door.
More stairs.
We climb the stairs. After about four thousand stairs, there before us was the biggest door I had ever seen before in my life. It was carved out of a single stone, and was entrusted with diamonds and gems the size of watermelons. Desperate, I begged the monk to tell me if the thing was behind this door.
"Yes, it is." he replied.
My heart leaped inside my chest. I could not believe that I was about to find out what it was that the monks had been talking about this whole time. And slowly, ever so slowly, the monk put a key into the massive lock of the door. Slowly, he turned the key.
Wrong key. He took the key out and tried another one. This time, the key was the right one, and he slowly unlocked the lock. The lock clicked open, and the door gave a slight release of tension. The monk looked at me, and turned back to the door. Ever so slowly, he pulled the door open. A bright white light began to shine out from the crack in the door. And I stood there, speechless. There it was...