Adam felt somewhat uncomfortable upon learning that he couldn't do the assignment and wouldn't be able to start learning to read just yet. However, with a smile on his face, the boy took out the golden page from his pocket.

—Look what I got, Dad! — Adam proudly said as he showed the golden page.

Upon seeing the page, the man became agitated and snatched it from the child's hand. He then brought the page closer to his face, as if trying to determine if it was genuine or not.

—Where did you get this?! — Adam's father asked, sounding concerned.

—A bookshelf told me it had a secret within one of its books, and I found this inside— Adam replied, somewhat fearful due to his father's altered state.

—Did it tell you anything else? Give me all the details, boy! — his father yelled, his tone filled with violence.

—No, nothing else— Adam nervously replied —It just told me to buy new shoes and sweets.

Upon hearing the first part, his father seemed less nervous, but upon hearing the second part, he became even more agitated than before. The man lunged at Adam, yanked open his robe, and stared intently at the boy's shoes for a while.

—Take off your shoes and place them next to a mushroom — his father ordered.

Adam complied, unsure of what he had done wrong. However, seeing his father so agitated made him feel uneasy inside.

—Do you notice anything abnormal about the shoes, boy? — the man asked, his concern evident —My eyes are too blind to see anything strange...

—The shoes are dirty — Adam casually remarked, not attaching much importance to the matter. But then, as he began touching the shoes, he noticed other details — The soles are partially detached, and they're a bit scratched. Other than that, everything is...

Before Adam could finish speaking, his father grabbed him by the shoulders and made him look into his eyes while yelling violently:

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

—Never! Absolutely never! Speak to that bookshelf again, understood, boy! No matter what it or any other bookshelf on the floor tells you, ignore it!

—But it seemed like a good bookshelf, it even advised me to be careful — Adam replied, wanting to defend the bookshelf that had helped him.

—It realized you're a child, and on top of that, a defenseless one — his father said, now less nervous. He needed to persuade the boy not to see that bookshelf anymore — Repeat what I told you the same day I showed you the cave of the eyeless old man, because it seems you didn't fully understand what I said.

—If I'm a bad boy, I can't enter the cave... — Adam nervously said, recalling that his father was also very agitated that day — If I read a magic book, I can't enter through the door, and if I take one of the books to read, the bookshelf will definitely ask me a question.

—Very well, boy! — his father said, patting him on the shoulder — Now I know you remember what I said by heart, but even more importantly: do you understand why the bookshelf wouldn't let you enter the cave and what each phrase means?

—The first one is because if I'm good, some bookshelves like me — Adam began to answer, but he struggled and took his time with each of the rules — The second one is because the old man gets jealous if I read magic books that aren't his... The third one is because he's a grumpy old man.

—You only understood the least relevant phrase — his father said, feeling fearful of the boy's ignorance — The first one is correct: it's the whim of the bookshelf to open the passage, the second one is the bookshelf's rule to open the passage, and the third one is the bookshelf's rule to take one of its books. Now tell me: What is the difference between the words "rule" and "whim"?

Adam fell silent, not understanding where his father was going with this. From the other side, his father grew more and more nervous as he witnessed the child's lack of understanding.

—Do you remember the phrase I taught you? Which bookshelves are the good ones? — his father asked, trying to remain calm.

—The good bookshelves are the ones that always follow their rules — Adam replied, as if reciting a recipe.

—Good — his father commented with some irony —We're back to square one. You remember the phrase by heart, but what does the phrase mean? It means that you can only trust the bookshelves that follow their rules, and never ask for books from bookshelves that don't follow them.

Adam remained silent, listening to his father. The boy knew that speaking would only lead to more lectures, and he wanted to start trying to read his yellow book.

—Remember well, boy... — his father continued —There are no bookshelves without rules, and those who don't follow them are trying to deceive you. Tomorrow, go to the market on the upper floor and buy yourself a new pair of shoes for your class. Ask the eyeless old man for directions, not some unknown bookshelf on the lower floor.