001.

Through the populated thoroughfare, the stranger walked. His stride was purposeful, yet his awkward gait suggested a weakness; a malady. Passers by could sense this on an instinctual level, and more than a few moved from his path.

There was but the one goal. The inexorable pull that led him through these public places. Once done, this cycle of suffering would be complete, as much as the eternal circle of Saṁsāra could ever reach an end.

A jolt of pain forced him to stop and clutch his stomach. People moved past giving him a wide berth. A burning stone weighed heavily in his abdomen, his recent companion of days and nights. The pain consumed all, wearing away strength and will. It beckoned with demoralizing truths. "Give up, and this will all be over soon." Biting his tongue to focus the pain elsewhere, he straightened and continued his pace.

Reaching a wide promenade, he scanned the air looking for his end point. A stylized sign bearing the name 'Le Poisson-Noir', the Blackfish, drew his attention two floors up. He looked about at elevators and escalators, and decided upon the stairs. It would have been far easier upon his old bones, but he couldn't chance the loss of momentum. The pain would keep him sharp, keep him going.

Step, followed by agonizing step.

In better times, this would have been all too easy. The trek wouldn't have taxed him, nor would he have even needed to make the trip. A plucking of the threads, an arrangement of causality, and he could have brought the man to him. But that was the way of things: when you truly need your most used tools, you find them broken in your hands. You must rely on the few things left available to you.

His thighs and calves burned nearly as much as the raging fire in his gut. His body had betrayed him him so deeply within the last few weeks, each day bringing fresh pain and embarrassment. He resisted the temptation to reach beneath his kurta to see if the wet sensation he felt was blood or if he had soiled himself. At this point, dignity was of far less concern than reaching the goal.

The stranger approached the entrance to the Blackfish. One remaining task, and all would be forgiven.