Part 1
The mushroom house that grew out of the tree, and the things that dwelled in it, looked out.
It had been raining for days, and the ground was overflowing with water, flowing like a river.
Whenever a raindrop hit the umbrella of the mushroom, spores were scattered in the sky, but they soon got wet and fell down.
Every time the host saw them, he was sure that he had nowhere to go.
The rain continued to fall, gaining momentum as if it were washing away the entire surface of the earth.
Suddenly, the host thought. I wonder if the trees where these mushrooms grow are safe.
Wouldn’t this rain cause the roots to rot and die?
Suddenly, the host’s body was dragged deep into the mushroom, into the tree.
When the host came to, he found that it was like a huge library with circular walls surrounding it.
It was so deep that he could not see the ceiling and could not see the bottom either.
There was also a circular floor in the middle of the room, with a ladder going from it to the wall.
In the center of the room, some people were sitting at a table, doing some work.
A few others were bringing books to the table, taking them out again, or communicating something.
I wonder what this is?”
The innkeeper muttered.
“This is the place you’ve been looking for.”
A voice came from somewhere.
The innkeeper looked around, but could not find anyone who seemed to be talking to him.
The host tilted his head, but the voice spoke firmly.
I will show you what you want.
Come up here.”
The voice never spoke again.
The host looked for a passage to go up anyway.
The place was intricate. There were bookshelves that led to stairs, stair landings that floated and moved, and narrow, fragile paths that were invisible and could be lost if one did not concentrate.
While I was going up, there was a floor with a painting on it.
They were paintings that seemed to lead somewhere, as if they were connected to the other side of the wall.
There was one painting in particular that drew me in.
This is mine. That’s how I felt.
It was a picture of an arch of trees, a lake in the back, and a hut by the lake.
The host had never painted before, had never touched this painting, and had never seen it before.
Part 2
You’ve come a long way.
I turned my head in the direction of the voice.
There was a person whose face I could not see clearly.
I could see the expression and outline of the face, but I couldn’t recognize the individual parts, as if they were covered.
The person told me.
This painting is a place you will end up, a point of passage, a starting point that will change you forever.
If you drink this water, it will give you strength.
Whenever you are thirsty, drink it and don’t stop.
For it will give you life.”
The host didn’t know what that meant, but he wanted to have it.
Where is it and how can I get it?
The man replied, “Drink from me.
He replied, “Take it from me, and I will give it to you if you ask for it.
If you ask for it, I will give it to you; if you follow me, I will give you the fountain of water as an inheritance.
The man spoke to the tree.
Then a book flew from the wall and landed in his hands.
He opened the book and began to speak.
I will tell you a story.
This was written before the ocean was formed, before the waves were created.
It was written in this book when there was no day, when there was no night.
In a dark place, there was a star.
The star was burning, illuminating the area, but there was nothing around it to illuminate, nor was there anything like itself.
The stars tried to shine in various colors at first.
Red, blue, green and yellow.
But since there was nothing to shine on, the star did not know if it was really shining, nor did it know what color it was.
The star burned for a while, but its momentum faded as it lost sight of the meaning of its own burning.
The star looked at the nebula in the distance and said, “Oh, I’ve been there.
‘Oh, if only I had been there, I might have known myself.
Maybe I would have been able to keep burning.
But now, I’m dying.
My oil is running out, and soon I will burn out.
Then, a small piece of a star flew into the sky.
When the piece of star hit the star that was about to burn out, it caught fire and flew off in the other direction.
Like a meteor, it lit up the dark and empty space.
The star was surprised to see it.
The fire that had come out of him shone brightly, even if only a little, and the darkness was banished.
Then he heard the voice of the One who had made him.
I heard the voice of the One who made me: “Where does your fire come from, and what is it that burns you?
Do you not know that your radiance shows the light to those who live in the distant stars?
And you are making it flourish without freezing there.
Is it not I who have made you and given you light in my house?
You will not burn out, you still have work to do.
I will show you anew what I am doing.
I have given you the word, and it is causing the light to shine.
If you want it to be dark, it will be.
But I have given you a word of hope.
I have given you a word of hope, an eternal promise that will never turn into disappointment.
Where do you look?
Is it not I who have placed you there and burned you daily?
Part 3
He said, “You will see that I am high above you and in the depths, beyond your reach.
I am doing something for you.
And it will come to pass in due season, that it will have its reward.
“How can that be?
It’s a dark and cold place.
There is nothing here.”
The star was depressed, but the voice answered.
Do you not yet know who you are?
You are my fire, and you are the clothing of my righteousness.
You are my fire, and you are the clothing of my righteousness; your works please me and my children.
The work that thou hast done is vain, or it is not perfect now; but I am with thee, and will do it.
I have put you here to be with those who love me, and to make all things work together for good.
Now I will add more oil to you, and you will not know that you are burning up.
That thou mayest know thyself better.”
The voice was never heard again, but the fire in the stars flared up and grew so large that I could see it for myself.
What had once been a nebula was now completely dark.
The stars that had once shone brightly were now flickering and burning as if they were about to disappear.
But around the stars, there were stars that had once gathered there, as well as distant stars that they had never seen or heard of before.
They knew of burning stars, all of them, that never froze or burned out.
They were illuminated by the light of the stars.”
The man closed the book and opened it again.
He closed the book and opened it again, and as he opened it, he saw the light overflowing and shining and coming out of the book, like a transparent tree growing.
He said, “This is what was, and what will be.
I am always speaking and fulfilling things.
Things are always changing with my words.
This story has already been told, and it will come to pass.”
He pointed to the ceiling.
He pointed to the ceiling and said, “There is a meal prepared for you here, eat it and go.
Go and eat it, and when you have eaten it and are strengthened in your core, live without letting go of my words.
Part 4
The host walked to the back of the house as he was led by the man.
At the back, there was a spiral staircase leading to the upper floor, and there were windows in the walls.
The view was different at each window.
The innkeeper asked the person.
What’s going on behind these windows?
The host replied.
He replied, “The time you spend in this tree is like a moment, but it will last forever.
The time you spend in this tree seems like an instant, but it is forever.
These are the things I have made for you to see all the earth and all the heavens.
It is always watching to see if the words I send will be fulfilled.”
As he finished climbing the stairs, a delicious aroma tickled his host’s nostrils.
The host had come from somewhere.
Without even realizing it, it had drifted in and taken up residence in the mushrooms, regardless of his intentions.
The host had things to do, jobs to do in the place where it once lived.
But it did not welcome the host, and the host was tired of doing it.
One day, while he was tired from working, a wind blew.
The wind blew so hard that it snatched the innkeeper and blew him far away.
While the wind was blowing, the host lost his tools and other things related to his work.
At first the host regretted it, but soon gave up.
The next thing he knew, he was in the middle of a dense forest, where the leaves had grown so thick that sunlight could not even reach them.
It was impossible to walk.
The host kept groping his way, not knowing where he was going.
Every time he walked, there were places where he sank, or got tangled in something he couldn’t see.
My body was tired, and it was getting hard to breathe.
What was the point of me going on?
I didn’t even think about it anymore.
My eyes were blurry and it was getting harder to see, but in the forest where there was little light to begin with, it no longer mattered.
And the host almost stopped moving.
I was going to spend the rest of my life with the soil.
After all, he thought, I’m just a dirtbag.
When he turned his head and looked at his feet, he saw something small and white, glowing in the dark.
I thought I was finally seeing an illusion, but the host reached out and grabbed it.
It had substance, and was something like a soft loaf of bread that could be grasped by hand.
A sweet scent drifted into the air, and without thinking, the host popped it into his mouth.
It was as sweet as honey, and wherever it came from, it made his mouth water and his throat water.
As he chewed and swallowed, he felt a strange surge of strength in his body.
The white food had fallen again, far enough away that I would not have noticed it earlier.
When he found it, the host got hungry and ate it too.
When he finished eating, the white food fell again a short distance away.
The host ate it, and again, one by one, they were placed in a row.
The host did not think about it, but just kept eating and going.
Part 5
After I had eaten some and was satisfied, before I knew it, I was out in a slightly open area where the sun was shining.
In the middle of it, there was a single tree, which seemed to be taller than the others.
It seemed to be taller than the other trees, because the leaves of the surrounding forest trees were thicker than the rest, and I could not see any leaves.
At the base of the tree, a single mushroom was growing, and there was no one inside.
The host decided to live there for a while, hoping to rent it while the person who lived there returned.
The innkeeper waited for the person who used to live there, but he never showed up.
No wonder, this place was prepared for the innkeeper.
After this, when the time was right, the one who had prepared this would reveal everything in the tree.
“This is the room.”
He invited the host into the dining room.
There was a large table with soups, salads, meat and fish dishes, and grain dishes on it.
The ingredients were ones the host had seen before, but cooked in a way he had never seen before.
Sit down and eat.”
The person pulled up a seat and escorted the host.
Then he took a seat himself and rang the bell.
Then the door opened and the people who had been working downstairs came in.
As soon as everyone had taken their seats, he announced the start of the feast.
Some of the dishes reminded me of my host’s childhood, while others were completely new and unknown to me.
Each time I put them in my mouth, my tongue rejoiced and my heart danced.
The host smiled as he watched his host engrossed in the food.
The host ate twice as much as he normally would.
Even so, the host did not feel distressed; instead, his body seemed to heat up and demand more.
After the empty dishes were set down, cups were laid out and liquid was poured into them.
The liquid was poured into the cup, which was covered with steam and was shaking.
The man said, “You drink this.
Drink this.
It was black in color, with no discernible aroma, and no idea whether it was sweet, bitter, or sour.
It is sweet in your mouth and bitter in your belly.
If you drink it, you will never turn back.
I have given you my word.
I have given you my word, which will cut through your enemies and give you hope.
You can mix truth with water and speak it, but you must not do so.
It’s like adding water to oil.
The oil floats on the water and never mixes.
I will give you eyes to see the true value.
I will give you eyes to see the true value, so that your blood may seek and obtain what is mine.”
Part 6
He drank the same liquid that had been poured out, and said again, “You are the one who poured it out.
6 And he drank of the same liquid that was poured out, and said, Drink thou of that which is poured out.
If you receive an invitation from me, drink it and go to the place indicated.
The host reached for it and slowly drank it down.
It was thick and sweet as honey.
He said, “You have borne my burden, and it shall be your crown in the last days.
If you keep what I give you, I will reward you for it.”
He called out to those near him and instructed them to do something.
Then he turned to the host and spoke.
He turned to the host and said, “Go with him and change your clothes, and I will tell you what you must do anew.
And whatever is in this tree, use it as you wish.
And use whatever is in the tree as you wish, as is the right of every worker.
The only thing is that you must not add to the book, nor erase it.
There is no escape from its retribution.
Keep that in mind.”
The host took off his old clothes and cleansed his body.
The host took off his old robe and cleansed himself, then put on a new, white robe and returned to the man.