Es

In a long hallway, littered with books, a voice rang out to me.

"We meet again, my lost child."

I looked up to see a stone face, as if doors one side had the face of a bearded man, and the other a woman, with cracks in their stone faces.

"I am Ego Rex, I administer the rules."

I'm so confused. Where am I?

"What you will find, here with me...is you, yourself."

After the final words, the stone doors split and dissipated into nothingness.

I began to walk down this hallway, whom I once thought littered with books only to be a hall of black and lining made of white. My thought floated towards me, the only thoughts I currently had.

"What am I?"

"Who am I?"

"Where am I?"

I kept walking down the hallway until I found a book titled 'No Longer Human' by Osamu Dazai.

I read a page of the book only to discover there were no more pages to the book.

"Why can't I read this?"

"No Longer Human."

"What kind of book is this?"

A blue butterfly flew by, the only being to have color since I came, and suddenly there was another page.

"How?"

"What is this?"

"Impossible."

Then another page. I see, it must be my thoughts, that give me Ego, so I can find the courage to delve further. Strange, I don't recall ever reading, and yet I feel so enthralled.

I finished an abundant amount, but I couldn't bring myself to continue, I want to find out what happens, and yet I don't.

"Isn't there anything else?"

"Well, look who finally showed up, I got tired of waiting."

"Who?!"

"Sorry, but I'll get straight to the point."

"Who are you?"

"I have 12 questions for you, don't think too hard, just answer honestly."

"Here's the first question: do you tend to get emotional? Just reply with a: yes, no, or neither."

"Neither."

"Here's the second question: do you put up a front for others?"

"No."

"Are you easily influenced by others?"

Neither."

"Are your tastes easy to discern?"

"Neither."

"Do you get jealous easily?"

"No."

"Do tough situations make you work even harder?"

"Yes."

"Are you often irritated by uncertainty?"

"Neither."

"Are you unhindered by fear?"

"Neither."

"Do you prefer things to be black and white?"

"Neither."

"Are you often deceived?"

"No."

"Do you like to be the center of attention?"

"Neither."

"Do you ignore those you dislike?"

"Neither."

"Interesting..."

She started to flip through the pages of a book analyzing what my answers meant according to it.

"You're the type to turn away from anything that might breed anxiety or pain. Like a child you close your eyes to anything you don't like. Why not try facing your problems for once, instead of shunning them? You also seem to be quite good at idealizing and idolizing others. Only an idealist like you would be so haunted by presumed betrayal."

"That's me?"

"Only a piece, like a fragment of a mirror, well, did that clear things up?"

"No, but...it's making something new."

"You don't know much at all do you? Not about this place, or who you are..."

"I don't know I just got here."

"No matter we've only just begun, come back to see me once you have more EGO."

"What's your name?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"You're the first and possibly only person I might meet here, I want to get to know you."

"Es."

"Es..."

"Just...come back when you have more Ego."

I walked out of the room into the dark hallway once more.

"Es, will I have to walk back here to come meet you?"

"Just imagine me there, and you'll come straight back to this room."

"Alright."

I continued to walk down the hallway.