The monk has guided him to where the mysterious lake is. Gradually, the place has been shrouded with bamboo; yellow mist is also spreading through the air. They walked on the other end of the cave and saw a large wooden gate with rustic steel bolts on the side. The monk hold the handle and opened the gate. The inside of the gate is mistier than the outside. The mist somehow smells like a mild scent of beer. There were knee-sized mushrooms everywhere. Then, a tall black man who also wore a saffron robe approached him. Both of them bowed down to each other. "I must go." said the monk. Carlo nodded and looked at the black monk. His eyes have a hint of redness in it. His lips is as thick and as dark as his eyebrows.
"Its been ages since we have someone enter. But these past days, I am surprised to have visitors these many in just a week."
His deep voice scared Carlo. He did not move nor speak.
"There were campers who tried to cross the lake just for the sake of thrill five days ago. Two days ago, there were three scientist who were so stubborn to surrender their equipments but have obeyed anyways.”
"Did the government opened the lake again for tourists?" Carlo said in a faint voice while avoiding the black monk's eyes.
"No."
"How were they able to..." before Carlo can finish, the black monk shouted,
"No one, not even the government has the power to command the lake when to open or close. We have guarded the lake even before this country exists. The lake chose to open a century ago and have chosen to become invisible when the war started. And the lake have let itself be seen these past days and today, the lake has decided to been seen by you."
Carlo is intimidated of the monk's loud deep voice. He did not said a word. The monk started to speak again,"We do not need any bribe nor offerings. There are only three rules in order for you to enter the lake. First, you must only use your mouth whenever you feel drinking the beer, meaning, equipments, gadgets or jugs are not allowed. Secondly, you must bathe yourself naked in the lake. Lastly, only one person at a time can swim to the other end of the lake."
Carlo nodded and agreed to the conditions. A few seconds later, the black monk gave his final warning, "Travelling from this gate to the Shrine of Pallas is a one way journey. Once you step into the lake, you cannot return."
The black monk led him to a hot spring. The monk said that one should first cleanse his body before entering the lake. Carlo stripped up his clothes and performed the ritual cleansing. He is given some river stones to scrub his body and dipped himself in the hot spring for an hour. The water is partly boiling. His felt that his head is slightly heavy and his intestines were being partially cooked. When Carlo feels that he’s going to faint, the black monk permitted him to stand and let him lie down on a thick cotton mat. The mat is unusually cold but amazingly soft. When Carlo tried to lie down on the mat with his body still red and hot, his body shrugged and quivered. Then on the second try, the black monk made him lie on the mat by force. He shivered and after a few seconds he felt very relaxed. The scent of lavender made him drowsy. He feels like his body is becoming liquid; it feels like he is submerging on the soft cotton mat.
After a few hours, his body feels completely new. There were no aches or pain present in Carlo’s body. Even the wound he got from jumping the train seems to be completely healed.
“You are ready.” The black monk said. His face is still fierce and intimidating.
Carlo nodded.
They walked for a mile. The bamboos are getting more shaggy and the mushrooms are becoming bigger, some are even as tall as Carlo’s shoulders. When they approached a small bridge, the black monk stopped. He reiterated the rules and said, “This is my stop. Swim till you find the end of the lake. Go and open the door in front of you. Remember what I said, there’s no going back.”
Carlo stripped naked and walked towards the next gate and opened it. The lake’s water is beautiful. It is bright yellow and somehow glittering. The scent is very seducing; mildly bitter sweet with a hint of vanilla and menthol. Carlo turned around and tried to open the gate from the inside. It is locked or maybe, the gate is for one-way entrance only. It really doesn’t matter. At that time, at that very special time, he feels at ease. he walked slowly into the lake’s waters. He sipped the water a bit. Its a sweet kind of liquor; more like a champagne or moscato with a hint of beer flavor. Carlo likes it. Carlo likes it alot! He started to swim. He swims so slow. Once every minute, he can’t control himself from sipping the water. “Its just a bit” he always say to himself. Gradually after sipping bit by bit, he feels sedated. His head feels lighter as his body sinks. He’s on the middle of the lake now. Then, his feet failed to respond; his legs don’t want to move. Thinking is being constantly regressing. The muscles in his brain as well as his body is paralyzed. His eyes were slowly closing...soul is losing its bind to its body.
“Not yet boy! Not yet!” someone yelled inside his head. He thinks for a moment: a whisper or a shout? He can’t seem to remember how it was said or who said it exactly. The voice is familiar though. Then he remembered that day; the train’s engine is loud and he can’t sleep. He can see the stars that night, but then he realized that the stars have only shown itself when he stared. He desired to find the stars.
"There’s no stopping now."
He opened his eyes. Consciousness have started to pump into his arteries. He’s drowning, little oxygen is left in his body. He shouted. His roar slightly vibrates the water surrounding him as if he’s freeing from something. His arms and legs started the pedal his way up. Upon reaching the surface he sharply drawn his breath. He panth heavily. He put his hand inside his mouth and made something creaked inside. He punched his jaw and bit his lips. A tint of blood covered the waters. He spit something...his tooth. He swam desperately up to the end of the lake. He crawled to the stone stairs at the end of the lake. At the end, there is a small hut made from bamboo. He walked to the hut, holding anything he could grasp to support him. He’s tired and slightly intoxicated; he walked like a drunkard. He entered the hut and saw a woman meditating. Carlo found a jar of water and he drank from it.
“Its been ages since I have visitors.” her voice is calming yet frail, unlike the black monk’s.
Carlo is too tired to talk and too busy drinking water.
“Drink till you are satisfied!”
He’s replenished and began to notice how long the old woman’s hair is. The old woman’s eyes began to open. Her eyes were entirely red. It scared Carlo.
“Why are you staring me?” the old woman asked.
“Nothing.”
The old woman didn’t say anything. Carlo is finally back to his senses.
“You said its been ages since you had visitors but the black monk said there are others who came to the lake this few weeks.”
“I have no visitors for the last five years.” she said calmly.
“So where did others go?”
“Maybe they have drowned. You know sometimes, one must know when to moderate their lust for liquor. What a worse kind of death, dying from drowning in the Lake of Beer. They are laughing while swimming yet drowning up cursing. Indeed, what a worse kind of death. This generation calls it the Lake of Beer right?” she said, as if she’s simply saying some kind of narrative. As if the death of the scientist is no big deal.
The old woman paused and continued, “Although there are some people who have survived, most of them have forgotten what have happened because they were unconscious once they had been washed up here.”
Carlo asked, "Are you going to get their bodies off the lake?”
The old woman cleared his throat and said “ I am too weak to get their bodies off the lake. I also might get drowned if I try to drag their bodies up here. Our only duty is to guide and give you warning. Besides, getting their bodies off the lake will make the lake loose its taste.” the old woman grinned.
Carlo vomited.
