The night crawls at a tortoise's pace when one is nervous, and Adam was super nervous; after all, the boy had a long day ahead. He hadn't been able to do his homework, and on top of that, he had to go to the Middle Floors Market.

To achieve this, Adam woke up very early, two hours before school started. He didn't want his worn-out shoes to draw suspicion from the inhabitants of the Middle Floors, so the best option was to go before most people woke up.

Adam got up from the blanket on the floor serving as his bed and put on a set of slightly torn robes. Then, he carefully concealed his new robes and headed toward the door with soft steps, trying not to wake up his father. But it seemed like he wasn't careful enough.

—Boy, remember to close the curtain—his father said while still half asleep— Last time you almost blinded me.

Adam nodded and, before opening the door, unrolled a curtain made of papers with scribbles on it. He slipped between the curtain and the door and began opening the door carefully, making sure the light from the lamps outside wouldn't enter the room.

Before fully stepping out, Adam cast one last look at the room and his father sleeping on the floor. It always made him sad to see this scene, but he couldn't do anything to change it.

The room where Adam slept had no furniture, so both of them slept on the floor, but it had the particularity of being covered in drawings everywhere. However, those drawings didn't bring joy or happiness to Adam.

He knew those drawings were a result of his father succumbing to the madness that plagued the Lower Floors. And that was the main reason for yesterday's fear; the inhabitants of this floor were usually exiled from the two upper levels. Although you could also find the wanderers from even lower floors here.

Nervous about the fortune he carried, Adam made his way to where the shelf of the eyeless old man was located. Luckily, it was very early, and the boy didn't encounter anyone dangerous on his way.

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The oil lamps always provided less light in the morning, so finding the shelf covered in moss and fungi was proving to be a bit challenging for Adam. But this time, he didn't have to do it himself because the head of the eyeless old man formed on one of the shelves in the hallway to greet him.

—Everything all right, Adam?—the old man asked with a raspy voice—Remember to clean your robes in the lake water. The librarians pay more attention to their clothes than to the faces of the people they talk to. Maybe if they paid more attention to other people's eyes, they would truly understand what these books say.

—Thanks for the advice—Adam replied with a smile.

—It wasn't advice, though it used to be in the past...—the eyeless old man commented with bitterness—Unfortunately, robes are in fashion these days. I'd understand these modern librarians if they didn't all wear the same clothes...

—So the librarians don't pay attention to clothes?—Adam asked, confused by the response.

—Oddly enough, modern librarians still care about clothes...—the eyeless old man responded with annoyance—but they only care about their condition, not the fact that everyone dresses the same... I'm sure they do it to make it easier to ignore each other...

—Speaking of clothes: I need to go to the market to buy some new shoes—Adam said with a smile—Do you know how to get to the Middle Floors Market?

—I could swear I've told you before...—the wooden shelf replied with annoyance—The market is on Middle Floor 3 of 5, Hexagon 9 of 18. Good luck on your adventure, young hero!

After answering, the shelf began to transform, showing the cave with the lake inside. Adam hurried to enter and followed the shelf's advice; he knew the water in the lake was quite special, so he submerged his new robe without fear.

As the robe dipped into the water, all the dust on it started to disappear until it was completely clean. Adam took the wet robe out of the water and watched as the water inside the robe formed a water ball in the air. When all the water gathered into a ball, and the robe became completely dry, the water ball fell back into the lake without a single splash.

Seeing his dry and spotless robes, Adam decided to leave the set of torn robes he had brought to hide in the cave and put on his pristine white robe like snow to ascend the moss-covered wooden stairs.

Luckily, there was hardly anyone up in the Middle Floors, so Adam's journey to his destination was quite peaceful.