Pisces 14. Unconcerned with how he is going to escape, a man explores an infinite library.
The infinite library of Al Finaal has no one entrance — entrances may appear at any time and any place, and in any form. Sometimes a monumental sculpted portal appears in one’s bedroom, or maybe a dark hole lined with soil and dangling roots.
In whatever form the entrance manifests it is always to a library which, although it appears different to different explorers is thought to be part of the seemingly infinite book repository of Al Finaal.
The danger of this library is not due to the potential of getting lost in it, for explorers say that as soon as an exit is desired it immediately appears.
The true danger of Al Finaal is that for as long as one wanders it one has no need of food, water, or sleep, and the passage of time ceases to be noticed by one’s consciousness. And so one’s attention is freed from all needs except the need to explore, and the books one finds are always those which will most stimulate one’s curiosity.
Serapis has said, “Here is the perfect prison for the lover of books, stories, and knowledge, for the mind is so engaged in the mysteries and allurements of the library that no sense of confinement is ever felt. My sympathies are extended to those who have lost loved ones to this endless sea of knowledge.”