Another paper for English, and it's allegorical again.

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True Satisfaction

Manny Abano was nostalgic for the days of his youth—a time that seemed light-years away to him. He had been a blithe child, living his life day-by-day with little care about the future. He saw no reason to care; his life had always been good and devoid of hardship and he expected that to continue for the rest of his life.

Unfortunately, he was wrong. He became friends with a group of duplicitous and rebellious boys and soon after, committed burglary, which got him sent to prison for a couple decades. He was finally out of prison, but his life was a mess. He was homeless, and he was often miserably hungry and thirsty, both literally and figuratively. As his stomach ached for food and water, his soul ached for some purpose in his life.

One night he had a dream. He was walking down a seemingly never-ending hallway. On each side of the hallway there were doors, each with a sign with messages such as, “Come here and you will be satisfied” and “Come here and your life will be fixed.” But he saw something sinister about these doors, so as much as he wanted to see what was within them, he walked forward. Eventually, he realized that there was a luminous door at the end of the hallway. He was curious and not so sure that he should check it out at first, but as he walked toward it, he felt as if he was being drawn to it and he found it impossible to avoid.

Thus, he approached the door, turned the knob, and walked into the room cautiously. What he saw absolutely blew him away. There was a huge fountain of water in the center of the room with a great variety of food all around it. For a moment, he thought that he should not eat or drink any of it because it could have been poisoned, but in his desperation, he ran to the fountain and began to drink it frantically. Instantly, his thirst was quenched. He went over to the food, began to eat some bread, and instantly he no longer felt hungry either. He was so absorbed in eating and drinking that he failed to notice a man sitting on the edge of the room, watching him intently.

“Welcome to the Room of True Satisfaction,” the man said.

Startled, Manny said, “True Satisfaction? That is what I’ve been searching for all my life. Please tell me how I can receive it.”

The man replied, “This room is only a message to you; the True Satisfaction is not to be found here, but you will be able to find it when you awake, only if you follow my instructions. The very moment you awake, walk down the street you are sleeping on. Once you have walked for three blocks, enter the first building you see on the right. I guarantee you that you will find True Satisfaction within that building.”

Before he could say thanks to the man, Manny awoke. Remembering the man’s instructions, he began to walk down the street. After three blocks, he saw the building the man had mentioned and decided to approach it. As he turned the knob on the door, he hoped that he had left his empty life behind on the street corner and that he would find the key to beginning his life anew within the mysterious building.