He asked the monks for a place to sleep and some food, and the monks indulged him. But that night, he couldn't sleep. He kept hearing this droning, thumping sound. After a while, he went to investigate. He followed the sound down the stairs, into the basement. There he encountered a richly decorated room. He tried open the door, but it wouldn't budge. He tried to peer through the keyhole, but couldn't see anything either. Disappointed, he went back to bed.
The next morning, he asked the abbot what the sound was. The abbot said: "I would love to tell you what it is, but you'd have to become a monk first. It's a long and arduous process, so you have to be really dedicated." The man declined, and went on his way. Yet, the curiosity stayed with him. He traveled the world, and nowhere did he find anything as mesmerizing as the sound. Each night in his sleep he could hear the sound again. At long last, he decided to return to the monastery and become a monk.
"To become a monk," said the abbot, "you have to finish three tasks, each one of which will test one of your qualities. The first one is patience. You have to sit in the garden and wait until the Brown Flutterer lands on your head. But beware! The Brown Flutterer is the shyest of all butterflies."
So the man went into the garden and sat there for days on end. He braved hunger and cold, heat and illness. He sat there unmovingly, not even blinking, waiting for the Brown Flutterer. The only reason he stayed sane was by focusing on his goal: uncovering the source of the magical sound that had nested in his brain. A few times, the Brown Flutterer entered the garden, but even the slightest hint of excitement would scare it off again. Then finally, after a few months, only when the man had complete mastery of his body and mind, did the Brown Flutterer land on his head. He returned to the abbot and reported it to him.
The abbot said: "Great, you are now ready for the next test. This one will test your perserverance. You will have to go to The Island at the End of the World and find the Golden Orb." So the man set out to find the Golden Orb. First, he traveled to New Zealand. From there on out, he took a boat to a barely known island in the Pacific. Then he rented a small sloop and went looking for The Island at the End of the World. It was only a few weeks before he found it. While there, he systematically searched the island. He inched his way through the Impassible Ravine, he dogded horrible wild beasts in the Jungle of Terror and he felt his way through the pitch black of the Dark Caves until finally, somewhere on Mount Snow, he found the gold orb. He retraced his steps and went back to the monastery.
"Incredible," said the abbot, "and now you can begin with the third and last test. This one will test your balance. You must cross the Gorge Without Bottom blindfolded, on a rope and one-legged." The man immediately started training. He stood on one leg for days on end, he walked on a rope for miles and he walked around blindfolded until he was able to find his way without problem. Then he combined these skills: he hopped around blindfolded, he crossed every rope on one leg and he felt his way across any rope without seeing. Then, when he finally mastered the skills, he crossed the rope over the Gorge Without Bottom.
He went back to the monastery and told the abbot. The abbot cheered and said: "You are the first person in twenty years to complete the three tasks. At last, you are ready to see the source of the sound. Come with me." They went to the basement and there the abbot took out a stained golden key, hanging by a chord from his neck. He put it in the lock, and the doors swung open, and there it was: the source of the sound.
I would love to tell you what it is, but you'd have to become a monk first.
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