The unnamed man did not question the unnamed universe. The universe offered obstacle after obstacle, and in turn, the man changed the universe by journeying further. Life was all about the journey. Each new discovery was progress, and every progression brought change but no destination.

He was currently walking a maze. He rather enjoyed this maze because it was different from all the others he had yet walked in his lifetime. And there had been a good many. Mazes were rather common. However, this maze was different. It had flowing water that forced some passages into one-way rivers. It also had rope ladders and rotating platforms.

The man was happy for all this. He lived and strove for change. And the universe was very good at delivering change if only he was good enough to overcome the presented obstacles.

So far, he had been in this particular maze for only two days. He'd found his way here through a secret door at the bottom of a shaft. The shaft had descended from the mansion that had taken him a month to fully explore. He was happy to have left the mansion behind as proof of yet another achievement. And now he faced the maze.

Today he was scouring the bottom of the main canal for possible clues. Everything was put in this universe for a reason, and that meant that everything out of the ordinary was a clue of some sort. And every clue worked toward one giant puzzle that would unlock the next secret. And then the next set of clues would emerge for the next secret. It continued this way indefinately, and the unnamed man did not wonder why or how.

And he most certainly never asked, "What if?".

However, it was here as he held his breath, swimming along the bottom of the canal, his hands brushing through the pebbles for any inconsistencies in the floor, that he was met with the most ambiguous clue he had ever encountered.

It was a fish.

RATE THIS CHAPTER!

Author guidance for This story

Our Protagonist lives alone with the universe. The universe gives him challenges, and he deciphers the clues to overcome the obstacles. In exchange, the universe changes by giving him a new place to explore. This is the way his life has always been, and everything in his life is there for a reason, either to set a challenge or to give a clue. And then...all that changes quite abruptly as the world begins to come alive.

updated Nov 19 '08 by olius_brightwell