Adam ran through the aisles, chasing the back of the Toy Maker until he finally saw the Toy Maker come to a stop. As he reached his side, Adam could see the Toy Maker standing in front of a rather colorful bookshelf.
The bookshelf seemed to be made of various precious metals, each with a different hue, but it only used vibrant colors, so there was no metal in white or black. The shelves were filled with colorful books that appeared to be magical, and many plush toys were haphazardly placed all over the bookshelf.
—Take one of its books— said the Toy Maker, cautiously glancing at the aisles.
Adam followed his instructions and took one of the colorful books. Immediately, a head formed from many colorful precious metals on the bookshelf. The head had a clown wig and a clown nose, making it quite clear that it was a clown.
The book disappeared from Adam's hand and reappeared on the bookshelf. The clown looked at Adam with anger and shouted:
—Hey, boy, we're in the middle of a pretty important vote! Besides, only good kids can read my books, so get out of my sight!
—We didn't come for your books, clown— said the tall, skinless creature—This boy is a friend of mine, and he needs to use the slide to escape from the other wizards.
The clown looked at the creature for a few seconds, then looked at Adam and said, cheerfully as if singing:
—If you're a friend of the Toy Maker, you're my friend too. You can have fun using my slide. Enjoy it, boy.
As the clown finished speaking, its face grew larger, occupying the entire bookshelf. Then, the giant head opened its mouth and stuck out its tongue, forming a staircase into its interior.
—Do I have to go inside the mouth?— asked Adam, shocked by the change in the bookshelf's demeanor and feeling a bit afraid of entering the giant mouth.
—Yes, before you go, take this— the Toy Maker put his hands into his black robe and pulled out a bag —You asked me to give you this bag before you escaped.
Adam took the bag and opened it; it was filled with miscellaneous objects, so it seemed like his father had prepared some provisions for his escape.
With the bag stashed in his robe, Adam looked at the throat of the giant head and asked:
—Where does this slide lead to?
—It goes down 10,000 floors in a few minutes— the Toy Maker calmly replied —You'll be safe from the purge at that distance.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
—10,000 floors...— Adam murmured thoughtfully.
If he went down this slide, it would cost him several years of his life to come back to these floors. There would be no turning back. Understanding that there was no other way to escape, Adam climbed the tongue of the giant head until he reached its mouth. Before continuing, he looked back and asked:
—Aren't you going to escape?
—I don't need to escape — the skinless creature replied —Many bookshelves on this floor protect me, so I'll be fine. Good luck, Adam, and thanks for giving me this body.
—Thanks for helping me escape too...— Adam commented with some effort, still feeling a bit sad about the cruel fate that had befallen his former professor, Aquiles.
After bidding farewell, Adam continued walking through the giant head's mouth until he reached the throat; it seemed that the hole in the throat was the slide that would save his life.
The young man stared at the hole for a few minutes; this was a decision he couldn't turn back from, and unfortunately, he had been forced to make it. His two classmates had gone to higher floors, and he had always wanted to meet them to thank them for the warning and see how they were doing.
Besides, he knew from rumors that the lower floors were not a good idea to start his exploration and pilgrimage. There were plenty of rumors about infected and deserted floors, and it didn't seem like many librarians managed to ascend from the lower floors to the wooden floors where he had spent more than half of his life.
Only now, as he was about to leave forever, did Adam understand how comfortable life had been while living in the cave of the blind old man. For these 15 years, he only had to worry about studying and the occasional strange adventure.
But once the young hero slid down this slide, those strange adventures would become his new reality, and that was something he only now fully grasped.
He feared those adventures; he feared those dreadful experiences from his childhood might repeat, and, more importantly, he feared dying alone and abandoned in one of the hexagons of this library, just like his father did.
Only now did Adam realize that he didn't want to go out exploring by sliding down this slide. He wanted to continue living the comfortable life on the wooden floors like any other librarian: a life where his only concern was the history he was reading while sipping hot chocolate in front of a cozy fireplace, a life where his only worry was not having enough time to keep reading.
Only now did Adam understand that he was never meant to be the hero of the story. He felt like he was born to read the story of that hero, and what once seemed easy now seemed impossible to Adam.
The young hero lacked the bravery to slide down this slide; he lacked the courage to face the reality of the cruel purge. He didn't have the valor to leave his old life behind and start anew on dangerous and unknown floors.
Fear of the unknown filled Adam's soul as he looked at the slide leading into absolute darkness. But just as he was about to turn around to find another way out, he felt someone pushing him from behind toward the slide.
Before falling down the slide, Adam tried to say his magic words, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember them: the Toy Maker was messing with his mind!
The last thing Adam could see before descending into the infinite darkness of the slide was the smile formed by sharp, yellowed teeth on the skinless face of the Toy Maker who had just pushed him into an uncertain fate.
---------------------------------------------------------End of my childhood----------------------------------------------------------