Bright light streamed in through the windows. Alyrman had not drawn the curtains before sleeping the previous night. The warm light rays woke him gently. Alyrman blinked. Panic gripped him for a moment. He thought he was back on Earth and that it had all been a dream. The softest mattress he had ever slept on, however, reminded him that he was still on Girolden. Alyrman smiled.

  I am still here!

  The smell, just a whiff at first, of freshly baked cookies pulled at him. It then became strong enough to drag him out of bed. Alyrman stretched his hands and looked through the ceiling-to-floor windows. The now-familiar landscape of colourful, rising buildings in the distance and the market closer by greeted him. Alyrman smiled some more and headed to the bathroom.

  He was pleasantly surprised to see a generic white toothpaste container and a white toothbrush placed near the wash basin. Neatly folded fresh clothes and a white towel waited in a corner on the slab. He quickly brushed his teeth, relishing the clean mint taste, and proceeded to the shower area. Not finding soap or shampoo, he looked up at the shower head. Warm, soapy water flowed out while he took his bath, and later, clean, fresh water washed the soap away when he was ready.

  Is this some sort of modern magic?

  He dried himself with the fluffy white towel and headed out in the fresh set of clothes. He saw himself in the mirror. I still look like Aladdin.

  Now, you maybe wondering how an orphan who cleaned cars for a living knew about Aladdin. Let’s say he was a moderately well-read, inquisitive young boy. Besides, it is really difficult to find a person on Earth who doesn’t know about Aladdin.

  You may also be wondering who I am, the narrator, I mean. Suffice it to say that it is not terribly important to know who I am at this point in the story but if you really must know, some people call me The Historian. Let’s get back.

  Alyrman followed the now intoxicating smell down the stairs and met the short, bald man at the desk on the ground floor.

  “Good morning, Alyrman. Hope you had a good night’s sleep.”

  “Good morning, sir. The best I have had in my life.” Or death? Am I dead? Does it matter?

  The man smiled and directed Alyrman to the dining hall. “Be careful there. Eat only what you smell. Not everything is for you.”

  Alyrman pushed the wooden door open and was greeted by a huge, cinema-sized hall filled with round, white tables and round figures occupying the chairs around the round tables. The round figures were basically large, nearly human-height, fat, white, feathered chicken eating with their feathered, scaly hands. The beaks seemed to have teeth, and the chicken chewed on their food while they squawked animatedly at each other.

  Once Alyrman’s eyes adjusted to the sea of white, he noted other humanoid creatures milling about. There were anthropomorphic green lizards and alligators holding plates and queuing up in front of a row of what must have been their food: trays containing brown, wriggling worms and some trays had stick insects, or at least they looked like stick insects.

  Huge snails crawled one behind another, leaving slime behind them. Pink octopi milled about in another corner, catching red, flying fish with their multiple tentacles.

  Alyrman finally decided to follow his nose, and it led him right to a row of trays containing the cookies he had been smelling all the time. He picked up a white porcelain plate and loaded it with a few cookies. The next tray contained idlis - steamed rice cakes. The next tray had vada - I can’t really describe this very well, fried, cutletty, donut maybe; they can be made in any shape you want, actually. And of course, there were cups of chutney and sambar placed on the table.

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  Alyrman tried the full menu, sitting at an empty round white table. He wondered why he didn’t see any other humans here.

  He tried the cookies first. They melted in his mouth the moment he placed them there. The chocolate chips were the best he had had. He tried the idli and vada next. I never thought idli-vada could taste so heavenly. He went for second and even third servings. You would have thought he was famished; he actually was. After having his fill, he headed out.

  “Hello fruit uncle, how are you today?”

  Alyrman was in the marketplace under the violet-red patchwork tent, sitting on the warm stone floor in front of Alyrman’s man’s cart of fruits. Alyrman’s man offered him the same fruit he had offered the previous day, the orachos. He grabbed and tore into it without hesitation.

  “I am good, dear boy. How have you been? You did not come here these last two days. Find any special place?”

  “I am getting bored, uncle. I always thought this was the life I wanted. Lazing around, not needing to work for a living. I have all that now. Yet, I feel empty. Something is missing. I need to be doing something.”

  The shopkeeper regarded him for a few moments. “Are you really only twelve, boy? That is very philosophical talk, coming from you.“

  “Maybe I am just used to working all the time, uncle. What work can I do here?” He polished off the remainder of the seedless fruit and wiped his wet hands on the front of his pants.

  “You can do whatever you want,” he said, “There are various professions to choose from. You can be a farmer, builder, soldier, merchant-trader or a writer.”

  Alyrman's eyes lit up when he heard writer, but he quickly remembered he could read well but hardly write anything worth reading.

  The shopkeeper continued, apparently oblivious to Alyrman's emotions. “You can just be an adventurer if you don’t want to be any of these things. Rules do not bind an adventurer.”

  Alyrman straightened. That sounds like something I want to do.

  “You are free to explore the multiverse and keep what you find and do what you want. Beware the consequences, though. Getting caught doing Illegal things can land you in prison. Also, on some planets, food is not free.”

  “I assume the last two points are the most important to remember:

  “You can go to prison if you get caught doing Illegal things.

  “Food is not free everywhere.”

  Alyrman's man laughed heartily. “You really are more like an adult, boy. So, seems like you want to be an adventurer.”

  Alyrman nodded. “I would like to be an honest adventurer. I don't want to do illegal things; not just not get caught doing Illegal things.”

  “Hmm. Now you are speaking like a child, my boy. The multiverse is vast and diverse. What is legal in one universe may be illegal in another. In the same universe, rules differ from planet to planet, from community to community.

  “Take the sale of food, for example. It is perfectly legal to sell food on Earth, isn't it? Try doing that here.”

  Alyrman nodded. “Alright. So an adventurer I shall be. Is there some ceremony I need to attend?”

  “No ceremony. You just confirm to me that you want to be an adventurer. You place your right palm on my right palm and…”

  Alyrman did that.

  “Do you want to be an adventurer?”

  He nodded. “Yes, I do.”

  “I declare you an adventurer now. You are Adventurer Alyrman, now.”

  Alyrman smiled happily, like the child he still was. “Is there any meaning to this all? Is there something I have to do?”

  “There is no hidden meaning, no hidden objective boy. You just live your life. You are not some chosen one, there is no prophecy. Just stay out of trouble, is all.”

  “What if I didn't have a right hand or what if you didn't have a right hand?” Alyrman winked.

  “We swim when we get to the river.”

  Alyrman nodded and laughed. “OK. Do I get some weapons or gear to embark on my epic journey the ages will remember?”

  “You will get some pointers, from me. I will tell you where you can get started.” He took his time, contemplating, as if deciding where to point Alyrman.

  “I am waiting.”

  Alyrman heard the man mutter, “Yes, best to start there.”

  Then in a louder voice, he said, “There’s a cave of riches just outside the town gate on the north side. Enter the cave and take your loot. Be careful though. You are only supposed to take what is yours.”

  “How will I know what is mine?”

  “You will know when you see it.”

  Alyrman stood in front of an opening in the ground. There was no attempt to conceal it, in fact, it was well highlighted. The stars glowed brightly overhead and he did not really need the torch he was holding in his hand, at least not before he entered the hole. The hole was as Alyrman’s man had described it. Creepers grew around the hole and tall narrow stones stood all around the hole, ringing it.

  Alyrman dropped his torch first through the hole. It did not fall for very long; he guessed the drop was less than ten feet. The torch lit up a stony floor and the surrounding area. Alyrman lowered himself into the hole slowly, feet first, holding onto the creepers growing around the hole before finally letting go. I hope this is not the exit hole too.