Enlightenment (eng)

Something I hear wakes me up. But it's not exactly something I hear, but what I don't. The awkwardness of silence is alarming and highlights my breathing to an unbearable extreme. When I open my eyes I find nothing, I can’t distinguish anything near me, though I’m not sure there's something there. I can't see anything in my memories either. I search, but find nothing. I find myself then in total darkness, deprived of all perception apart from the cold floor and the voice in my head, that screams danger.
I suddenly notice another breathing, contrary to mine, with an imposing pace that challenges my own. I can't see its owner, but he presents himself without making me wait too long. A little flame lights up, a match, that reveals partially the man’s face. He looks at me for a moment, then brings the match close to a candle, which ignites. The candle illuminates the room even more, but I can't see the entirety of the walls, just the one in front, and the one behind me. The shadows created by the dim light make me more uneasy than the blatant darkness from moments ago.
“You're awake” he says, still looking at the flame. I'm speechless. “It was about time, I was starting to lose patience.”
“Who are you?” I ask.
“It's not relevant at the moment. What I find more interesting, however, is who are you.” he rises his sight upon me.
I think about it, but find no answer. Who am I? Where do I come from? And more importantly, where the hell am I?
“All of your questions will be answered soon.” he says. He signals me to sit down and I do so.
“Where are we?”
“Soon” he says, still staring at the candle. “Let's start from your first question. You should already know who I am, but it's normal that you don't remember”
“No clue”
“Well, my name is Alex”
“Nice to meet you”
“Nice to meet you, again” he says grinning.
Something about Alex makes me uncomfortable. I don't know if it is his exaggerated smile, his alarming calm or the fact that he seems to know more than me. He doesn't look at me a lot, the candle, at times, catches his whole attention. By the little I can make up of his face, he must be about twenty-three years old. He has a populated but neat beard, dark eyes and an imposing nose.
“Regarding to where we are,” he says, interrupting my thoughts “it’s hard to say accurately. I could try and explain, but you'll get an idea soon enough.”
“What?” I ask, without fully understanding it.
“You'll see”
He stands up, I try to follow.
“It’s not necessary, stay put.” he says. I obey.
He takes another candle out of his pocket and holds it against the already flaming one, it too catches flames. Alex walks with the candle in hand to the far-right side of the room. I watch closely as the light reveals the terrain. About three meters away from where I sit I see the wall, and on it, a door. He leaves the candle there. Alex comes back, pulls out another candle and lights it. He walks towards the other end of the room, until he lightens a second door on the left wall. He does the same, then comes back and sits down.
“Well, you get the idea” he says, dead serious.
“I suppose I have to choose”
“Between what?”
“I guess nothing so trivial as choosing the door with the money and not the one with the goat.”
“No,” he laughs “nothing so absurd”
“Then… good or bad”
“Life or death”
This surprises me, yet I'm not scared. Somehow it seemed logical.
“Now,” he proceeds “where are we?”
I meditate my question, which is clearer now that it's repeated by him.
“My own mind”
“Very well.” he says grinning again “Then you already have all the tools to make a decision”
The silence turns dense. For the first time, Alex stares directly at me. I’m sure he already knows my decision. It suddenly hits me, I get everything: who I am, where I am and why. I know I'm close to dying, but I’m given a choice. I look thoroughly to the door on my left, then to the one in my right. Alex, impatient, sighs, snaps his fingers and the candles illuminating both doors extinguish. I look at him and sigh.
“I see you’ve made your choice” he says.
“As much as I’m tempted by the door on the right, I’m gonna go left”
I stand up slowly. I look at him. He smiles at me. I then walk to my left. I reach the wall and I feel about for the doorknob until I find it.
“Why?” Alex asks before I can open the door.
“Why what?”
“Why choose life when you have an easy and painless way out?”
“What would be the fun on that?” I answer.
I open the door.
“It won’t be easy” he says.
“You can throw me to the wolves and I will return leading the pack”
“I didn’t expect any different”
I look the path in front of me with determination. Then I look back at Alex. He smiles at me for the last time, then leans over to the candle and blows the flame. The room is now dark again.