Jake woke to silence that felt like breath held too long. The shelter's roof shifted gently, showing flashes of sky and something like memory. Outside, the figure waited, still and patient.
It raised its arms slowly – palms pressed, then opened. Jake copied the motion with as much perfection as the figures, but he didn't do it exactly the same. The figure responded with a soft hum, like a bell underwater. Jake hummed back, off-key but sincere. The air gleamed, held its breath, then settled.
From within itself, the figure produced two objects: a warm coin and a scrap of light. It placed them in Jake's hands and pointed towards a distant rise. He followed, unsure if he was being led or simply allowed to walk beside something that knew the way.[1]
[The thought made him uneasy and strangely comforted, too.]
At the rise stood a ring of stones. Each one glowed faintly as Jake approached. The figure tapped a stone, and a seam opened to reveal a shallow hollow lined with soft dust.
Jake placed the coin inside. The stones shifted, forming a compass. A column of light rose, showing a trail—not a map, but a suggestion. Portraits appeared, a humming tree, a ribbon market, and a door that opened only for those who returned what they borrowed.
Jake pressed the coin's edge. A phrase surfaced in his thoughts [Ask before taking.] [Return before leaving.]
The figure touched his hand, a gesture of permission. Jake understood; this place didn't demand understanding.
[The fear in his heart stats to fade away.]
It offered understanding slowly, if you were willing to listen.
Back at the shelter, Jake tied the scrap of light around his wrist. That night, he etched the phrase onto the wall with ink that formed in his palm. It dried into the weave and hummed softly. A quiet vow—to honour what he didn't yet understand but hoped one day to earn.
[1] Jake receives two symbolic gifts—a warm coin and a scrap of light—from a mysterious figure. These represent comfort and guidance.So the unknown person pointed to a place in distance but jake wasn't sure that whiter he was being guided or led by some thing strong but he followd it anyway