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Percival walked slowly through

the forest at night. The sounds of crickets echoed among the trees

while the rabbit walked on lazy short steps. His life as dungeons

explorer was becoming increasingly difficult since his father died in

an exploration. Percival was determined to follow the footsteps of

his beloved father, but he had to admit it was not easy when you are

alone and when you have no experience.He approached the city and

walked through the modest houses of wood and straw, to the town

square. Lamps hanged around the square, where exchanges happened.

Belongings were exchanged between species under the light of the

lamps, everyone smiled at each other, doing good business. But the

attraction that appealed to Percival was a board in the middle of the

square in which the community placed ads. Normally, offers of all

kinds were made in form of classified advertisements. There is no

money in Fenária, all objects and services are traded for

belongings. In Fenária, economy was sustained on direct exchanges of

objects.Percival approached the board

and looked at the ads carefully, for something that could sustain him

and his mother. He then saw an ad that seemed perfect for him:"Explorers of all ages and

species, we need your help! A new entrance to the Great Dungeon was

discovered and archaeologists are gathering at the foot of the

mountain to start the offensive! We pay food and clean water to those

who have obtained good results in the exploration. Work journey of

five hours per day. Come test your skills, discover treasures and

help with the advancement of archaeology! ""That flashy ad ..."

thought Percival. In fact, it's not every day you see an ad with such

size, full of exclamations, much less if it comes from a group of

intellectuals affiliated to Government. Percival shrugged and read

the rest of the ad for the location and time he should present for

the job: on the east side of the mountain, within two days, in the

morning.Percival nodded and left the

city, going back to the forest to give the news to his mother. The

path to Percival's house was a narrow trail amidst the trees. The

trail ended in a wooden house built in a clearing near a lake. He

walked inside, seeing his mother, who was sitting in a rocking chair.

She was an elderly rabbit who wore glasses and had to support herself

with a cane. Still, she was happy, had great stamina and did not

complain of her age. Very religious, she always had a rosary with

twenty beads of pearl and four of gold, one gold bead between each

group of five pearl beads. She looked at Percival, who had just

arrived and was approaching.The house was very simple and

had only one room. The only light was the moonlight that penetrated

through the only window facing the lake outside. The old woman looked

at the window with a serious expression until she realized that

Percival had arrived. Her expression had changed and she smiled at

her son.- How was the job search? - She

asked.- Well, mama - Percival said. -

I think I found a good job that will supply us with food.- Okay ... Still want to explore

the underground? You know what happened to your dad, love.- I know very well, mother. But

my father was unwise. Trust me. Moreover, nothing pays more than

underground exploration.The old rabbit was disappointed

to hear those words, but accepted them; nothing could save Percival

from his obsession. He loved participating in explorations with his

father and the old rabbit was impressed to see that witnessing his

father's death had not taken the child's desire to be like his

father. She liked to think that the father's soul was now part of the

child's body.- A pity that the harvest is

getting tough - said the rabbit. - Otherwise, we could continue to

live without working.- But it is good to live in

luxury and not having to worry about the harvest - Percival said. -

Also, do not like to stay home ... it's tedious ...- Youth ... - The old woman

smiled. - Who will form your party?- I do not know - Percival had

not realized that he had no party.Explorations require groups,

"parties", formed through a process of selection among

candidates. But sometimes, for simple jobs, it was recommended that

the explorer took a group of faithful friends.- But I do not need to worry

about that now - continued Percival.- I see ... You better sleep ...

tomorrow is a new day ... - Said the mother.That night, however, another son

was going home, but not to find his mother. A small monkey went into

his house, also made of wood, built on top of a tree. He greeted his

father and asked:- Still nothing?- No news, son - said his

father, a huge black gorilla sitting at the table while repairing a

clock.Mimo was a little monkey who has

not even reached puberty. He lived with his father, a watchmaker,

waiting for news from Government, which had arrested his mother for a

crime she wasn't guilty of. The house had two floors, one for the

father's workshop and another dedicated to three bedrooms. The father

had built the house himself in the course of a month. The walls of

the workshop were full of tools and classic watches since Fenária

had not discovered digital technology or silicon.Mimo sighed and went upstairs to

his room. But his father called him:- But something else came.Mimo went to his father and took

the newspaper from his enormous hand. Mimo did not have many friends

and most of his free time was spent reading the newspaper. He then

went upstairs and flipped through the newspaper for a long time,

reading every word, under the light of a candle. The candle stood in

the centre of a bowl with water, so that the sparks that eventually

jumped off the flame were extinguished. His room was small enough to

accommodate only a bed and a dresser that also served as a table. A

window allowed him to look at the sky through the leaves of the huge

tree that supported the house. He read the ads section and found a

job that the Government was offering. It was the same offer that

attracted Percival's attention at the square. Since it was a job from

Government, maybe Mimo could, with good performance, free his mother.

After all, he could maybe ask for a different reward because his

father, even if old, provided food to the family, then food and water

were not exactly scarce at the moment."Would my father accept

this job?" He wondered. Mimo got up and went to his father.- What is it, Mimo? - Asked the

father. - You know I can not take you out to pee at night.- I know, Dad, you don't have to

remind me ... - Mimo said, embarrassed. - I saw a job offer from the

city. Maybe if you did a good job, Mom could be released.The father turned to Mimo and

asked for the newspaper. Mimo gave it already in the ads page. His

father read carefully.- I do not know if I can. It is

a very risky job - said the father. - Not for anyone. It requires

courage, commitment and a young body. Even though I have the first

two, I do not know if my body is young enough...Mimo thought a bit about the

words of his father.- Can I go? - he asked.The father's eyes widened and he

looked at Mimo with an air of astonishment.- No! Never! Look at you! You're

a child! I will never let you participate in a Government

exploration! - Said the father, emphasizing each word with the strong

tone of his voice.- But Dad ... - Mimo replied. -

It's our only chance ... It is obvious that the Government will not

release my mother unless we do something. Incarcerating is forever,

unless the guilty is proven innocent ... or until a bill is paid! You

told me that!The father, facing the concern

of the child, lowered the tone when saying:- I know that, son ... but it is

better to wait for another opportunity ...- You. .. sometimes do not seem

to love mom - Mimo said, lowering his voice as well.Silence between the two. The

father was embarrassed. Perhaps, his main problem was not the lack of

youth, but of courage. Deep inside, the father was afraid of the

underground. Mimo climbed the stairs and entered his room. He

wondered for some time what to do. He would not let his mother suffer

in prison. He thought for a long time, staring at the ceiling of his

room. He then came to a conclusion. He would take the job, by

himself; his father did not need to know.Two days later, during the

night, Mimo woke up. He had been drinking a lot of water the night

before so that his bladder would him up before morning. He lit the

candle and wrote a letter to his father. After that, he picked up his

backpack went out through the window.Meanwhile, Percival was awakened

by his mother.- It's time to go, champ - she

said.Percival sat. Unlike Mimo,

Percival did not have a bed. He and his mother slept on mats on the

floor. Percival took his things and left after kissing his mother.After a long walk into town,

Percival Mimo met in the main square, along with all the other

animals who wanted to join the offensive. They made their

preparations in the tents of exchange, but Percival and Mimo, as they

had nothing of value to exchange, followed to the mountain right

away. It was another hour of walking through the dark and dense

forest to the foot of the mountain, where more animals were

assembled, awaiting instructions.The animal in charge of running

the test had not yet arrived. It was a test to wait in the cold, but

many had come prepared. More and more animals arrived from town to

mountain to take the test. They talked to each other and the sound of

their voices filled the place.The entrance to the Great

Dungeon was there. The insides of the tunnel were covered with ice.

It was a corridor built at the foot of the mountain and seemed to be

there since the ancient times, that is, before the invention of

language in Fenária.After a long wait, the animals

were graced with the presence of a small monkey, wearing white

clothes, glasses, holding several paper sheets. He called everyone's

attention:- Gentlemen, listen to me! The

testing time has finally come!The animals surrounded the

monkey. The first step was dominated by luck: the amount of paper

sheets containing the questions to be answered was limited, so some

could not do the test due to pure misfortune. Mimo and Percival

received their test. Half of the candidates went home when there was

no tests to be distributed any more.There was no pen or pencil.

Candidates had to read the questions, think about the answers, go to

the monkey and give the answers orally.