There once was a man on a long journey. It was getting dark when suddenly his car started spluttering and eventually died. Slowly he coasted to a halt by the side of the road and sat behind the wheel, shoulders slumped in despair. Realising that he had no food and nowhere to spend the night, he locked his car and started walking down the road. Hours went by as he walked, the wind picked up, the night became cold and a light drizzle started falling.
"Why me? Why now?" he thought in despair.
But then he noticed a light in the darkness. He stumbled on until he reached a small building. After knocking on the door he was surprise when, after a few seconds, a monk opened up.
"What can I do for you, my son?" the monk asked politely.
"Please, my car broke down, I've been walking for hours, I'm cold and hungry and I need to find a place to sleep for the evening. Please help me." the man begged.
"Unfortunately we cannot allow that, my son. We can provide you with some bread and water, but it is not allowed to have outsiders stay here." the monk replied.
"Please, I promise I will not be a burden to you. You can even just put me in a corner on a mattress and I won't disturb you at all." pleaded the man.
The monk thought it over and eventually relented. The man was shown to a room and provided with food and water. Thanking the monk profusely the man ate hungrily and fell into an exhausted sleep. In the middle of the night he was woken up by a strange sound. It was a sound he had never heard before. The sound seemed to vibrate through the very walls and into his soul. He was fascinated by it! The following morning, after thanking the monk for his hospitality, the man asked the monk about the sound he had heard during the night.
"I'm afraid I cannot reveal the source of the sound to you, only monks are allowed to know. If you want to know the source of the sound, you will have to join our order and become a monk." said the monk.
The man thought about it but decided that being a monk was not for him. Thanking the monk once more he departed.
Many years went by and the man carried on with his life, but the sound he had heard stayed with him. He tried reading about it in libraries and online, extensively researching the monk and his order. While there were many references to the sound, none offered any explanation as to its source. Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore and returned to the monastery.
"Welcome back, my son, what can I do for you?" the monk asked after he had opened the door.
"Good sir, I have tried to carry on with my life, but that sound I heard the night I stayed here has lingered with me. I need to know the source. I wish to join your order and become a monk."
"Very well, my son." said the monk.
For years the man studied the ancient texts and committed himself to learning everything there was to know about the order. One day, as he was meditating, the monk approached him.
"My son, you have shown your commitment to our order and you are ready to undertake your final tests. After these tests you may be led into our inner sanctum where the source of the sound will be revealed to you."
"Thank you, Sir. I am ready. What do I need to do?" the man asked.
"First, you must prove your patience by remaining still until the Brown Flutterer rests upon you. Secondly, you must prove your endurance by finding the Peak of Golden Light. Lastly, you must prove your courage by crossing the Great Divide while blindfolded. I must warn you, very few of our order have accomplished all three these tasks."
"I am ready, Sir. No matter the challenge I must finally know the source of the sound. I have devoted my life to it!" the man replied.
So for a week the man sat in the courtyard, not eating nor drinking, meditating unmovingly until one day a large brown butterfly fluttered around him and finally settled on his shoulder.
"Your first task is complete, my son." said the monk. "Rest now for your next task starts in a few days."
After a few days the man set off. For months he traveled until one day he reached the summit of a great mountain, just as the sun was rising. He reveled in the warm, golden light. Spending the day and the night on the summit, he set off on his long journey back to the monastery the next morning.
"Your second task is complete, my son." said the monk after the man had returned. "Rest now for tomorrow you will face your final task."
The following day the monk led the man to a massive canyon over which a rope hung from one side to the other. After the man was blindfolded he carefully made his way onto the rope. Slowly he started making his way across, almost losing his balance a few times. After a few harrowing minutes he finally felt solid ground under his feet. He removed the blindfold and slumped to the ground, bathed in perspiration.
Once they had returned to the monastery, the monk turned to the man and said; "Well done, my son. You have completed all three great tasks. You are ready to be led into the inner sanctum and have the source of the sound revealed to you. Rest now, for tomorrow it will all be revealed.
The man slept fitfully, tossing and turning, eager to finally know the source of the sound that had so taken over his life. The following morning the monk came to fetch him. Leading him deep underground, following a path carved from the very rock of the earth, they finally reached a thick solid door. The monk took a large, golden key from his pocket and inserted it into the lock. With a massive metallic THUNK the door was unlocked. The monk slowly opened it and finally the man saw it, the source of the sound, the very thing that had changed his life. With his mouth hanging open in awe, he entered the room and looked upon the.......
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