After eating and drinking our fill, I took out a cigarette and lit it.
Seeing me smoke, the old man looked curious. "This thing smells pretty good. Give me one too!"
I lit one for him. It was probably his first time smoking, so he took a huge drag right away and naturally started coughing from the smoke.
"This place is pretty big," I said.
The old man smiled. "If you're curious, you can look around on your own."
I nodded. I really did want to look around. It was my habit—whenever I arrived somewhere unfamiliar, I wanted to get a thorough understanding of the place. Only after I knew it well would I feel at ease.
Besides, I still had to find a way to leave this place eventually. I couldn't go around knowing nothing about it.
What surprised me was that the old man did not offer to come with me. He seemed rather unconcerned about me.
But after thinking it over, I understood. He had no need to worry about me, because this was not a place one could leave so easily. Otherwise, he would not have been imprisoned here for who knew how long.
And his memories had likely been erased as well. Even his imagination seemed to have been restrained.
"It's not that I don't want to accompany you. It's just that these old arms and legs of mine aren't what they used to be, and I drank a little too much just now. Normally, I can't drink much at all, but then I met you, young friend. I got happy and drank more than I should have. My head really hurts now, so go wherever you want by yourself. Don't worry, there won't be any danger here, unless..."
He suddenly made a sharp turn