Adam left the cave to head back home, and along the way, he crossed paths with several people, all of whom were familiar faces and greeted him with friendly smiles.

The corridors of Hexagon 10 were much cleaner than before, almost as if they were brand new. Adam was surprised to see that someone had been cleaning them, and even some of the lamps had been repaired by an unknown person.

What impressed Adam the most was not only that the lamps were working again but also that the original decorations had been restored. Someone had taken the trouble to rebuild the marble angel statues. Such skill was not so common on these floors.

As Adam turned a corner in the hallways, he spotted the person responsible: an elderly man with a few strands of white hair on his head and a weathered body, dressed in tattered rags that were the remains of a violet robe. The old man, with trembling hands, was dusting the corridors while singing a children's song:

—Mambrú went to war,what pain, what pain, what a pity....

Adam tried not to disturb the man while he sang. He didn't know him, and this floor was filled with crazy individuals. Besides, his dad had told him not to talk to strangers.

But as Adam passed in front of the singing old man, he noticed the man glancing at his school supplies box and asked suspiciously:

—Floor 4 of 5, Hexagon 8 of 18? What is a student doing living here?

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Adam stopped and turned around. He knew his dad had told him not to talk to strangers, but he needed to say something to prevent the old man from realizing he was a student. His father had emphasized keeping it a secret at all costs.

So Adam looked at the old man cleaning and said:

—I'm not a student from school; my dad homeschools me!

—Your dad can read and lives here...— the old man said, as if trying to reach an important conclusion—God, kid, you're living with a lunatic! Don't you want to come live with me? I could protect you from that lunatic and teach you a couple of magic tricks.

—No, I really don't want to— Adam replied firmly. That was a strict order from his father: never go anywhere with a stranger.

—Oh...— It seemed the old man understood that he was almost abducting a child and changed his approach—If one day your father loses his mind completely, go to Hexagon 2 of 18. Look for a bookshelf with only one book, give them this page, and they will take you to a place better than this. If they ask who sent you, tell them the name doesn't matter: he's dead.

—I don't want the page, thank you...— Adam said without turning back, walking swiftly down the hallway to reach his home. He didn't want to accept anything from a stranger, especially if it involved bookshelves.

The old man looked at the boy's back and the piece of paper in his decrepit hands, then looked at the boy getting farther and shouted:

—Times of war are coming, young one, you must leave these floors! Be strong and fear not, for the bookshelves will endure forever!

But Adam didn't turn around to see the old man; he knew that the crazy ones would say strange things. It was better to ignore their madness, or one might end up going mad too.

—No one loves children anymore... — The old man in rags cried out in anger while cleaning with even more vigor —They are only loved by the dying old or the unfortunate who can no longer have them...

Adam heard the old man's weeping just as he was about to close the door to his house and meet his father, who was, as always, in his corner, hunched over, staring at the wall, trying to find some meaning in that corner or life itself...