Three

Ah
Draw near, my dear friends
For I shall spin you a tale most extraordinary
One that unfurls beneath the ever-misty skies
Of a new Europe embraced
By the turning of the century
Where the past and present oft intertwine in the most mysterious ways
Picture
If you will
Two weary travelers seeking
Refuge from a sudden and seemingly relentless downpour
The cobblestones gleam with the rain's kisses
And the air is thick with the scent of wet earth and ancient secrets
Our story begins with these two souls
Bedraggled and shivering
Stumbling upon
A dimly lit tavern
Its flickering sign beckons
With a promise of warmth and respite
As they push through the heavy wooden door
The warmth within envelops them
Like a cuddling mother
The tavern
Is lit up by a sanctuary of candlelight's trembling luminescence
And the soft murmur of low voices
Blending with the thunders from outside
They find themselves a corner
Resting their bones and drying their soaked garments by the hearth
'Tis then that
They notice three peculiar figures
Each shrouded in shadow and in an aura of enigma
These figures
With eyes that seem to hold the weight of ages
Seems to call the travelers to join them
With curiosity piqued and no other refuge from the storm
They oblige
The first figure
Is a gaunt man
With an insatiable hunger in his eyes
Leans towards our patrons
And begins his tale after asking for a first round of drinks
He speaks of a monstrous appetite
A curse that drives him to consume all manner of things
Living and not
His incredible story is, as our say, one of insatiable hunger
A dark and endless void within that no feast ever seems to fill
He served in armies, devoured garbage
Travelled far and wide
Yet his longing for sustenance gnawed at his very soul
Not once does he utter his name
But the tale he weaves leaves an indelible mark
The second figure
With a youthful naivety
Recounts his relentless pursuit of happiness
He speaks of a philosophy
Passed down by an intimate friend who's knowledge rivals the biggest men in
History
That the world is the best of all possible worlds
But his amazing journeys bring naught but misfortune and apprehension
The terrifying sight of dismembered bodies
Rubbles that once
Were towns and the aftermaths of war leaving a trail of suffering and death
Along its path
Ghastly shipwrecks
Gut wrenching betrayals
Each misadventure etches lines of sorrow
Upon his hopeful visage
His optimism, though battered, remains unyielding
Like the first
He shares his story without ever mentioning his name
Lastly, the third figure
A man marked by suffering yet transformed by mercy
Tells of his quest for redemption
Once a hardened criminal
He speaks of a life spent fleeing an implacable pursuer
Of sacrifices made and hope clung to in the darkest of hours
His tale is one of unwavering search
Not of flesh but of salvation
His name, too, remained unspoken and, yet
His story resonates deeply
Within the heart side of the ribcage
The night stretches on
The storm outside is still an unyielding symphony of ticking and murmuring
The travelers are spellbound
By these tales
As time slips by unnoticed
At last, the rain begins to abate
And with a final toast to the indomitable spirit of humanity
The three enigmatic figures fall silent
With the first light of dawn breaking through the clouds
Our visitors bid farewell
To the tavern's warmth and step outside
They glance back
Expecting to bid farewell to the welcoming glow of the tavern but
To their astonishment, the tavern is gone
In its place a long-abandoned shop
Of timeworn musical instruments
Its windows darkened by the ever setting dust and its doors tightly shut
They look at each other
Their minds grappling with the still shimmering night's mysteries
Had they been visited by apparitions, reliving their tales in an eternal loop?
The answer eludes them
But the memory of the three figures and their haunting stories remains
Etched forever in their minds
And so ends this tale of ephemeral encounters
And the spectral dance of past and present
Let us raise our glasses to the mysteries of life
To those fleeting moments that leave us forever changed
And to the indomitable spirit that weaves us all together i
N this grand tapestry of existence
Let us raise a toast to the unending quest
For the light that flourishes within the hearts
Of those who follow
The path trough enlightenment
And above all
As a dear friend of mine once said
"Beware of the wisdom you did not earn"