Anelt woke up, and everything looked silent, and it seemed like he was in a graveyard.
“Where is everyone?” he said to himself, knowing it was too early for everyone to just leave.
He went to his father's room and it was empty.
Then he decided to go out of the house to check if he could see anyone.
Stepping out, he saw his father and mother under the Magical fortune tree who they signified to keep mute and come forward.
Walking towards his father, his father encouraged him to squat, which he did.
Fifteen minutes later, which was around six o'clock, prompt in the morning in total silence. Anelt's father cleared his voice, and the first thing that got out of his mouth was, Happy birthday, son”.
He noticed Anelt was in oblivion, either to talk or not, so his father said, “The ritual is over, my son. You can speak.”
Anelt answered, “Good morning, and thank you, Father. I noticed no one was inside, and that is why I came out to check for you,” he concluded.
His mother picked from there, "My son, you are of age now as this is the eighteenth solar eclipse which we use in counting the years and ages of our children in the Ozz land.
Every child that turns eighteen years old must partake in the ritual of going to the dreamland to visit their future.
Pick one of the fortune cookies in the tray, eat it, and after eating, do not speak again, then go back to your bed and sleep.
We shall continue this discussion when you wake up, his father supported the notion, and Anelt did as told and went back to bed.
Immediately he closed his eyes and opened it. He woke up in a strange universe. What he noticed was that his outfit was outdated and everyone looked at him as if they saw a ghost.
Anelt ran in fear continuously and hid in a tunnel. How will I progress on this journey in a strange universe, he asked himself.
After two hours, Anelt went out of his hidden place to face the reality he was looking at.
He pumped out his head, looked both sides, and then tip-toed out of the tunnel, and as he was about to adjust himself, he heard his name.
Anelt !! Anelt, why are you asking yourself if this universe is real or not?
If you ask me, I will tell you that it is real.
In fear, Anelt turned by to track the voice, and he found a very young man dressed like a cowboy holding a staff.
“Who are you? “Anelt asked in surprise, confirming that the stranger knew his name.
“I am Ozzeranderancuf, your ancestors, “ he answered and continued, “Why do you think you are here, Anelt?” the strange young man inquired.
At first, Anelt wanted to keep to himself, but he remembered that no one knew him here, and maybe the stranger might be of help to his destination.
I am here to visit my future, Anelt answered.
Why are you now running to that hidden spot, the young stranger asked.
I am not running, Anelt answered.
Then the young stranger said frankly, “Anelt, in case you don't know, you are not here to visit your future; you are here to face what can hinder your future, and lies won't help for a start. He concluded his speech with a raise of one of his eyebrows.
“I am scared and afraid of the strange faces looking at me as I don't know what to expect from here”, Anelt said, putting down his face.
Ohh !! You are scared to be seen, heard, and uncertain; well, it is good to know. There will be a month-long challenge you are going to face here in the dreamland, some as exercise and others as a mission.
The young man called his name and a kiosk appeared beside him.
“Looked inside this kiosk, you will find magical products like bottled emotions, time-related trinkets, whimsical items, abstract concepts made tangible, dream wear and tools, fantasy snacks, and other strange services.
You will be my sales apprentice for a month, you will advertise to people and sell various products to them. The prices are on it, and immediately you read through, you will know their functions; don't forget the universe you are in.
If you had asked me if all this was real, I would have said yes” and the young stranger disappeared.
Anelt heard “feed yourself with ten percent of sold products” after the stranger had disappeared so he knew it was still his young master.
Anelt looked at the product tags and prices, which made him go on a day without food, and the next day, he started his advertisement, “he needs to survive,” he soliloquizes.
It was a surprise to Anelt that he made sales the second day, fed from it, and continued selling and feeding without calculating his supposed ten percent commissions.
It is a month, and Anelt is happy that he will be leaving the dreamland as the young stranger, Ozzeranderancuf appears and tells Anelt the amount to be remitted, and to Anelt's surprise, he has spent more than necessary.
Ozzeranderancuf said, “Accountability is another obstacle you have to work with, and for this, you are going to continue selling for another month to make up for your shortage, " Ozzeranderancuf exclaimed and disappeared.
Another month again, Anelt soliloquizes to himself and continues his business, but this time, he is careful to spend and keeps an extra five percent in two days' sales to cover his debt.
Before Anelt knew what was happening, it was another month and his Master was happy to see his improvement.
The next thing you are doing for me is to get me a pail of water from a nearby tap, but no matter what happens there, do not drop the water or make it throw away, Ozzeranderancuf told Anelt as he took a pail and went away.
Getting there, he saw four ironed statues surrounding the standing tap. Anelt put the pail on his head because of the height of the tap and switched it on and as the water started dropping in the pail, the ironed statue turned real human and the most annoying part was that two of them aimed his armpit and the other two aimed his abs, tickling him relentlessly in other for him to drop the pail and throw the water away.
At first, Anelt wanted to react to them but just remembered his Master's statement that only if he was asked if it was real, he would answer yes.
This is where he learned that pain is not physical but a psychological effect.
Anelt left the statues which stood static back to their position as the pail of water was filled. Anelt got back to the kiosk, and he saw a pot of hot boiled yam, his Master told him to take three slices and eat.
Ozzeranderancuf gave Anelt three minutes to eat the hot yam, which he did, and after that, the young master said “You have graduated and passed the resilience, the composure, and the pressure test…
Now go to the real world to do it in practical reality”. Ozzeranderancuf concluded and the cloud covered the sky.
He opened his eyes and saw that he was at home already and his father was sitting beside him.
You are back my son.
Welcome back to the real world. His father said.
Anelt asked” Father, how many months was I unconscious”
His father said, it is just twelve hours, you slept around 7 am and this is 7 pm.
Hmmm !! Two months in the dreamland is twelve hours in the real day. Anelt ruminated.
We will be throwing your birthday tomorrow, his father said to him as he knew Anelt looked strange.