The wind howled fiercely in my ears, so strong that my eardrums almost burst from the pressure. There was no ground beneath my feet, nothing to save me as I was falling into the endless void. I had been sitting just moments ago on my office chair, doing my work to finish my day, but then everything turned black. After that, I began to fall into this darkness. At first, I panicked, but nothing changed—no ground appeared, no body showed up, nothing but the gloom. Strangely, I could see my hands in this darkness, though I had no idea why.
My breaths began to calm, and my anxiety faded as my body and mind started to accept the situation. But in the midst of it all, my pulse came back with force; my heart nearly jumped out of its place. Ground—it was ground. I would die if I hit it. I tried to change my direction, but the ground drew closer and closer. Infinity now had an end...
I opened my eyes again. "Where am I?" I asked myself. Solid ground. "Oh God, I'm alive." I couldn't believe the joy of life. The ground showed no sign of impact; the stone beneath me was cracked and shattered. When I stood on my feet, I realized my eye level was different from the rest of the floor. I looked down and saw the debris at my feet.
"I really fell, but why?" I started examining myself to see if my arm or leg was broken—nothing. Everything was fine. I brushed the dust off my body and looked around. The place was empty, nothing but dust and cold winds, and above me, darkness covered the place like I was on a cliff where waves crashed against rocks. But these weren't waves—they were endless darkness crashing against the light of this room.
I turned to examine the directions. Only the gray bricks shone faintly with light seeping through the edges. Despite the emptiness of the room, it seemed full to my eyes. I turned again and saw a man standing upright, hands behind his back, wearing a black suit and a red tie.
"Someone came before me, why didn't I see him? Wasn't I looking in that direction?" I started walking toward the man step by step, full of confidence but growing more nervous as I got closer. My body shivered; the cold air became colder, like I was in a freezer. The closer I got, his features began to form clearly. He was slightly taller than me, dressed formally. His hair was slicked back, and his smile was warm—but not what it seemed. That smile made me uneasy.
"I don't know why, but maybe because the cold intensified, I began to see the warmth in a fake smile."
My first words were, "Hello, I'm…"
"What was my name!?" I couldn't remember. I drifted into thought for minutes and found myself before him. His calm features and smile made me repeat my words, "Hello…"
He answered, "I've been waiting for you. You're late."
I replied with a question, "Late? I don't even know you or remember my name. Do you know me?"
He looked at me, still with that smile that from afar felt warm but was starting to worry me.
"You can call me Mr. M. As for you, the Fool."
"Fool!"
Mr. M said, "Yes, Fool. Everyone who comes here from your kind is called fools or the fool."
The Fool: "Huh!?"
Mr. M: "Does the title bother you? But you know nothing about where you are or what you are."
The Fool: "Even if you suddenly call someone a fool…"
Mr. M started pacing around me, looking at me closely. His gaze began to disturb me. He stopped in front of me.
Mr. M: "But do you know what the fool means? Or what I mean?"
The Fool: "No."
Mr. M: "Alright, let's see if you really are the fool or not."
He moved his hand toward the wall. The room began shaking from side to side. I felt terrified.
I shouted, "Is this an earthquake?"
Annoyance was clear in his voice when I shouted.
Mr. M: "Hey, stop screaming! You're making me lose my focus."
The bricks began moving and rearranging themselves into a gate in a magical way, as if straight out of a fantasy story. The bricks aligned one by one in perfect harmony, the stones following a specific pattern.
The Fool: "How did you do this?"
Mr. M: "I can't tell you the details. Just say I have authority here."
After the last stone settled in its place, a sign appeared with the word: "Trial?"
Mr. M: "Exactly. The Trial of the Fool."
Mr. M looked at me after the sign appeared, bowed politely, and gestured with his right hand toward the gate, while placing his left hand behind his back, asking me to enter.
The Fool: "Mr. M, didn't you explain what the trial means?"
Mr. M: "Yes, on our way to the next room, because this might take some time."
The Fool, annoyed: "Alright, then let's go, please."
He straightened his bent posture, put his hands behind his back, and took light steps toward the gate. I was hesitant to follow, but something pulled me, something told me to follow him. I took a deep breath and said, "As if I have another choice."
I followed Mr. M, who didn't even look back to check if I was following, confident that I would.
The corridor was made of the same stones as the room but dimly lit just enough to see our way. I had no questions except the curiosity that gripped me until we were moving.
I asked Mr. M, "So, won't you tell me why I'm here?"
Mr. M: "Oh yes, how could I forget?! Sorry about that."
He kept staring ahead, never turning even while talking to me. But a feeling told me not to do anything stupid in his presence.
Mr. M: "We are heading to the first room. You can call it the first test or the first trial."
The Fool, questioning: "Then, don't I have the right to know what kind of test it is?"
Mr. M: "No, because the test is determined when you open the door."
The Fool: "What is this place anyway?"
Mr. M sighed: "You might refuse if I tell you the truth, but the truth is what matters. Are you ready?"
I took a deep breath and answered, "Yes."
Mr. M smiled more firmly and said,
"We play here with souls."
The Fool: "I think I understand now."
Mr. M's smile faded and hopelessness appeared on his face. It was obvious despite his smile. I think he expected a different answer from me. But I was sure I was here for a reason, so I went along.
Mr. M, disappointed and lowering his voice: "Where is the crying? Where are the signs of regret? Where are you, truly the fool?"
The Fool, with a smile and feeling victorious over him: "No need for these words since I am dead. I don't think it will make a difference."
Mr. M: "Who said you're dead?"
The Fool, shocked: "Huh? What do you mean? I'm no—"
Those words turned my thoughts upside down. "If I'm not dead, then what is this place, and what am I really?" These questions, the shock, and the satisfaction on Mr. M's face with his provocative smile made me furious. I lunged at Mr. M, grabbed him by the collar, and slammed him against the wall.
"By your right, you fraud! Why am I here? And who are you? Tell me!"
Mr. M, after hitting the wall, looked at me with surprise and satisfaction.
Mr. M: "That's better. That's what I expected—a reaction worthy of a fool."
When he said those words, I pushed him harder against the wall, stronger than before, because I didn't get any satisfying answer.
Mr. M: "Don't worry, you'll get answers to all your questions soon."
His gaze pierced me, and his smile became more frightening, even though it hadn't changed, but I felt it as a direct threat from him. I left Mr. M to straighten his suit and collar, which I had been holding.
Mr. M, brushing dust off his suit: "You know, Fool, your reaction was beautiful. You wanted answers, but you were never really looking for them."
The Fool: "What do you mean?"
Mr. M finished fixing his suit, stood upright as if nothing had happened.
Mr. M: "I mean you gave up a lot for very little."
Questions still flew in my mind. "I still don't know what you mean, but if the answers lie at the end of this corridor, then okay."
Mr. M, approvingly: "Well said, Fool."
Then Mr. M turned and continued walking in this endless corridor, but the more we walked, the more it seemed to stretch, as if the corridor was alive. I saw it twist as if we were inside a living body, but its walls were stone, not flesh.
Mr. M raised his hand and, without warning, snapped his fingers. The sound forced me to stop, and Mr. M stopped too.
Mr. M: "Let's make this moment unforgettable."
He caused the closed corridor to shake as he did in the room. Stones scattered, and the corridor's walls fell away into space. Enough stones scattered to make the darkness I had feared look beautiful, like a night sky full of stars endlessly shining.
A ball formed from the scattered bricks and stones and hovered above us.
The Fool: "The moon!" It was as if I was seeing things for the first time, even though I had always seen them.
Mr. M put his hands behind his back and looked at the fake moon.
Mr. M: "Sometimes, all we need is to stop and look around because some things shouldn't be missed. What do you think, Fool?"
I kept looking around and said, "I think you're right."
Mr. M: "Shall we continue our way now?"
We kept walking in this atmosphere. I don't know how long, but every second felt eternal. I don't know how long I looked at the sky, but I know I will always look.
These beautiful moments didn't last long. Indeed, we reached the end. I saw the wooden gate gradually coming closer. As we approached, I noticed the iron decorations were rusted and that there were no handles—only knocking was allowed.
I hesitated to knock until I looked at Mr. M. He nodded and smiled reassuringly, unlike before. I hesitated at first, then raised my hand and knocked three times...
Silence fell, and nothing happened. I stepped back. "I don't think anyone is here. Let's go back." After saying this jokingly, I smiled, and within seconds, the creaking of the door hinge began...