—And a few hallways...— added the bear with an ironic smile —You can do it, hero!

—It might take me hours to do it...— Adam said with concern. His fear of lunatics made him lose his tantrum —Do you think we won't encounter anyone? With such a heavy suitcase, it would be impossible for me to escape and protect it at the same time.

—Hopefully, you'll be attacked inside the stairs...— the bear replied. Then, the little bear started heading towards the stairs, and Adam followed, dragging the suitcase through the hallways.

During the climb, which lasted several hours, many people crossed paths with Adam, but they all ignored him. Perhaps if they were normal people, they would have spent some time helping a boy carrying something heavy up the stairs. However, these lunatics simply disregarded him and continued on their way.

With a lot of effort and sore hands, the boy finally reached the fourth floor. However, according to the bear, it was better to wait on the stairs for a while before moving through the hallways.

—Are the stairs safe?— Adam asked. He arrived at this idea after encountering so many lunatics who ignored him in such a narrow environment.

—Yes, there's an old rule that states no fights are allowed on the stairs— the bear replied calmly —But the rule only applies inside the stairs. That is why the guards are limited to protecting the entrances to the intermediate floors, and never block the stairs to the middle floors.

—I already knew that, that's why I go up the stairs of the old man without eyes and I don't use the main ones, so as not to run into the guards— Adam responded, not wanting to seem too ignorant. He still had some anger towards the bear, and this mission was terrible for him.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

—You do that because you're an idiot, kid...— the bear replied with a gruff voice —You have a middle floors identification card, you could enter through the door like any normal person.

—Liar! Besides, how do you know about my identification card?!— Adam shouted, venting his frustration from the tough mission.

—You are Adam, and I am Mr. Bear from the Care Bear family— the bear replied, taking a sip of his drink that never seemed to escape his hand —I told you the secret of the cave, kid. The eyeless one doesn't know that we knew each other in a past life.

—Impossible!— Adam shouted even more angrily. —Why do you tell me so many lies? What are you trying to achieve?

—Your plan worked well, Adam...— the bear replied, paying no attention to the boy's outburst —The librarians spent millennia looking for it, and you, who can't even read a miserable language, found it. You're right, it's impossible, kid.

—Why would you tell me about the cave, then?— Adam asked, feeling uncomfortable with the seriousness in the bear's voice.

—We just exchanged favors... just like now...— the bear replied without much thought —But you were crazy enough to achieve something impossible with those exchanges.

Adam didn't want to ask any more about the topic. This bear had lied to him more than once, and on top of that, his moral compass was too opposite to his to be interested in his lies. So, the boy stood up and set out to get the suitcase out of the stairs to finish this mission as soon as possible.

The bear watched the boy's back for a few minutes as he left the stairs and then said:

—Heading to hexagon 9 out of 18, that's where our beloved little books are.

Adam obeyed and started moving. Both of them passed through many hallways, but fortunately, nothing happened. Hexagon 9 looked like a bank, very similar to the one on the middle floors... In fact, it was identical.

It had the same stone shelves and the same books, all in one color, all identical. Adam was puzzled by the similarity and wanted to ask the bear about it, but now the young hero was stubbornly refusing to ask the bear any questions. In his young mind, his whims were absolute rules.