"We knew the entrance to the vault lay within an abandoned house in the village, a massive stone sealing the door. One night, we put our trust in God and went there in secret. We managed to heave the stone aside and began our descent, one after the other, each of us clutching a lantern. After climbing down a long ladder, we found ourselves in a tunnel. We had only ventured a few steps deep when the air suddenly vanished, and all our lanterns flickered out at the exact same moment.
One of us shrieked: 'A ghost! A ghost!'
In that moment, we were so consumed by terror that we nearly soiled ourselves. We scrambled out, our hearts pounding against our ribs, and vowed never to set foot down there again."
Adam laughed. "It remains a beautiful memory, regardless of your fear. You deserve a medal of bravery just for entering."
His grandfather playfully furrowed his brows. "Don't you dare let this story leak out!"
Adam returned to his room and tried to sleep, but his eyelids refused to close. His mind raced with his grandfather's words. He knew what he had heard sounded like a myth, yet the vault was real, and his grandfather was no liar. His gaze suddenly shifted to the paper stating the reason for the father's rejection: He wants someone unique. Someone who satisfies his madness.
He whispered to himself that he would marry no one but Sarah; otherwise, he would never marry at all. Then his voice rose: "What's the harm in going down? Even if there truly is a treasure..."
He fell silent, as if another voice were arguing back: "Treasure? That's the talk of madmen! Don't forget, the vault is haunted by ghosts."
But the first voice returned: "If I am a coward, then I do not deserve Sarah. Are you even happy with this life? A commerce graduate whose job has nothing to do with commerce. Four years of study just to work in a drug warehouse... If you weren't living with your grandfather, you'd be sleeping in the street by now. If you love Sarah, prove it to yourself and to her. If you find the treasure, you'll be the most famous man in town!"
He bolted upright from his bed, pulled out a photograph of Sarah, and stared at it.
"I am going down," he declared. "I will go down no matter what. And if your father is mad, Sarah... well, there are times when I am madness itself."