all this way because of a legend you read about in an article. Why?”
“Because I thought you could help me.”
He was silent.
“Can you?” I asked.
“That depends on what kind of help you need.”
“Answers . . . truth . . . an explanation.”
“It is possible,” he replied, “that I could be of some help. But I can’t promise you anything without hearing. How serious are you about finding the truth?”
“Would I be sitting here in the middle of the desert if I weren’t?”
“And how long do you have?”
“As long as it takes.”
There was a long pause.
“So then,” he said, “where shall we begin?”
“Where it all began,” I replied. “Do you believe in visions?”
“You’ve seen a vision?”
“I’m not the type to be seeing them.”
“Who is the type?” he asked.
“I don’t know, but not me. I never had one before. And now I’ve had three.”
“Three different visions?”
“One vision, three times.”
“The exact same vision?” he asked.
“The exact same vision.”
“So what did you see?”
I paused to collect my thoughts.
“I was standing inside a temple, an ancient-looking temple with large stone pillars, capitals, steps, a roof . . . everything pure white, more than pure white. Everything was glowing, radiant. I wasn’t alone. I could see figures, clothed in white and likewise radiant, moving around me. In front of me was a man clothed, as were the others, in a white robe. I couldn’t see his face at first, as he was turned away from me. He opened a white marble chest and retrieved a key.”
“A radiant white key?”
“Yes, like everything else. He turned around, placed the key in my hand, then led me outside the temple. We were standing on its marble steps, looking out into a vast desert landscape of valleys, plains, and mountains. He walked down the steps and into the desert. I followed him.
“He led me to a mountain. As we neared its base, I noticed a massive door in the rock face. He motioned for me to approach it. The door had a small keyhole. I looked back. He nodded as if to give me the go-ahead. I placed the key in the hole and turned it. There was a loud rumbling. The massive door began to open inward. We went inside. The door closed behind us. We were now standing in a gigantic chamber of hewn rock, lit up by the light of torches set in holders along the wall. The chamber was circular. Spaced evenly around the chamber were seven doors, each of a slightly different color. On each door was a symbol different from the others. Seeping through the cracks of each door was light of the color and intensity one would expect of the midday sun.
“‘Where are we?’ I asked the man.
“‘In the house of Oracle,’ he answered.
“‘And this room?’
“‘The Hall of the Seven Doors.’
“I stood in front of the first door, wanting to know what was waiting on the other side. I slipped the key into the hole, but it wouldn’t turn. I tried again, but nothing.
“‘How do I open it?’ I asked the man.
“‘There’s only one way to open the seven doors,’ he said. ‘You must find the owner of the house. Find the owner, and you will open the mysteries. Find the owner, and you will have your answer.’
“And with that the vision ended . . . Each time, that’s where it ended. And that’s why I’m here.”
“Did you write down what the symbols on the seven doors looked like?”
“Yes, after seeing the vision for the third time.”
“If I give you a piece of paper, can you write them down for me in the order they appeared?”
“I believe I can.”
He handed me a piece of paper, and I drew the seven symbols in the order in which they appeared, as best I could remember. I handed him back the paper. He sat there for some time studying it. Then he looked up and stared out into the distance a few more moments.
Finally he spoke.
“Your vision began in a temple where everything was filled with light. Light is a symbol of truth and revelation of divine origin. You were given a key of light. That was to tell you of a revelation, a mystery to be unlocked.”
“And the desert?”
“It represented the desert you’ve journeyed to, this desert.”
“I had to open the door myself.”
“Yes, because you have a part in it. What is to be revealed requires your seeking it, your unlocking it.”
“And the mountain . . . I was told it was the house of