One early morning, a young man came alone into a vast and ancient forest to chop wood in preparation for the coming winter. For hours he worked, until the sun began to sink. When he finally gathered his tools and prepared to return home, he realized with growing dread that he was lost. No matter how many times he searched for his usual path, it was gone, swallowed by the woods.
He wandered, hoping to eventually find a way out, but hunger and exhaustion gnawed at him. As night fell, he had no choice but to keep moving. At last, his strength failed him. He collapsed upon the forest floor, his consciousness fading like a dying flame.
Just as darkness claimed him, a figure appeared—cloaked in a garment so long it brushed the earth. Its face was hidden in shadow. As it stood before him, the young man felt his body renew itself—energy and vitality surged through him stronger than he had ever known.
The figure helped him to his feet and asked, in a voice both distant and gentle, whether he would accept its gift. The man, wary yet curious, demanded to know what the gift was. The figure replied in a welcoming tone:
"Before you lie two paths. Take the first, and you shall live the life you have always dreamed of. Take the second, and you shall return to the dull life you knew before."
The man looked between the two paths, but in truth, he already knew his choice. He stepped onto the first path—toward the life his heart had always yearned for. The trail led him out of the forest, and in an instant, he found himself at home, though it was already midnight.
His home was cold and empty, yet he lay upon his bed and fell asleep after the long day.
At dawn, he woke to a familiar voice—a voice he could never forget. It belonged to the woman he had always loved, the one fate had taken from him. Overcome with emotion, he embraced her tightly. With tears threatening to spill, he whispered that since the day she left, he had missed her every moment.
They held each other for a long time before she told him she had prepared breakfast. It was the happiest meal he had ever tasted.
Day by day, he lived the life he believed he would never have. A year later, he became a successful merchant, the very profession he had always wished for. Soon he and his wife welcomed a child—healthy, bright, and full of wonder.
This was the life he had dreamed of: a loving family, a stable livelihood, and joy even amid hardship. His old life had been colorless and empty, each day grey and lifeless. Now, everything shone.
One night, as he stood by the window, gazing into the distance, the figure from the forest appeared behind him once more. It asked him whether he was happy. He answered yes without hesitation.
Then it asked, "Even if all of this is only a dream—nothing real, only an illusion—would you still choose to remain within it?"
Again, without hesitation, he answered yes.
The figure said nothing more. It disappeared and never returned. The man remained still, his eyes fixed upon the dark outline of the forest that had changed his fate.
Deep within those woods, a skeleton lay among roots and moss—plants growing through its ribs. It had rested there for many years, but it was peaceful.
For the dream never ends, so long as the dreamer never wakes.