Standing in front of him, right at the end of the path, was a man.

It was a tall man in a seemingly brown cloak. His head was covered by a hood.

The old man approached and then noted that the hooded man had a large book in his hands. It was chained to his arm. If that was uncomfortable, the man said nothing. Behind the hood, a pale face and blind eyes met him.

"Hello," The old man said, not knowing what else he could have said in that situation. "I'm lost, and I don't really know why, but I think I should talk to you about this."

"Yes, you are lost. I knew that already, and I know what you need from me. It was expected that your path would bring you Here."

"You knew my path was going to bring me to this place?"

"To Here "  The hooded man corrected.  "And yes, I knew. All the paths lead to me."

The old man nodded.

"So, will you help me?"

"I can point the way, but only if you know where you want to go."

The old man thought at first that he could ask for his way home. But where was home? He didn't know that. He could also ask for a way to contact someone who could recognize him and help him, maybe someone from his family. Then again, who would that be? Who were his family?

No, home, family, or friends were not the answer he needed.

"I need to be There" he said after thinking for a while.  " I don't want to be in Here anymore, so I need to travel There"

The hooded man nodded, and then, with one long finger of his right hand, he pointed to the ground. There was a huge black hole there. A hole that the old man was sure wasn't there before.

"You want me to jump to my death?"  he asked.

"That's a path like any other. This one can lead you to death?Yes, that's an option. But it can also lead you out of Here. The destination lies in your answer to my question."

"What question?"

"After the question is made, your only option will be to jump and face your destiny. Do you understand that?"

The old man could feel that the hooded man was telling the truth. He thought about giving up, but that was not an option. He knew that in his bones. The black woman was right, there was no going back in Here.

"What's the question?"  He asked and waited.

"From Here to There is a journey. But it's one that can only be made by those who know when Here and There is the same place." The hooded man looked at him and concluded. "What is this place?"

"What kind of question is that?" the old man thought.

Not having an answer, he sat close to the edge of the black hole and faced the pitch dark in front of him. He tried to remember all the instructions the black woman gave him.

When they shared water and food and listened to each other, that was kindness. In the forest, he was brave. During the chase, he had done his best. Without realizing it, he had followed almost all of her instructions.

There was only one left.

He thought about the woman's only advice, and at that moment, he had the answer to the question.

"The end." The old man said. His voice was without a trace of doubt. " Here and There are the same place when it reaches its end."

The hooded man was nowhere to be seen, but the old man wasn't looking for him anyway.

He jumped.

And fell.

And then he awakened.