[music from headphones]
"..that you can't shake should you satisfy yourself for the fan base
they eat it up but you really can't stand the taste and now you backstage moppin with the sad face...."
Huh?
[beep]
Hello there!
What are you doing?
Huh? Oh, saw this guy sitting here staring at this thing.
I thought it might be interesting to check it out.
And you, why are you here?
I read about this and I wanted to see it.
It looks sturdy.
You know, there are rumors about this ladder.
Rumors?
They say it leads to insanity... They say that
people who climb it never come back
and if they do come back, they're not the same anymore.
Tch. Anyway, I didn't have anything else to do today soo...
Do you mind if I join you?
Of course not.
I don't mind at all.
What are you doing?
I came here to see the ladder.
Then, these two saw me and decided to stay as well.
We just know three facts about this ladder:
1.) That it leads to insanity.
2.) That the people who climb it never come back.
And 3....
Uh, what was the third fact again?
Third, even if they come back they're not the same anymore.
[ladder creaks]
Where are your parents?
They're busy...
Anyway, this ladder is boring. Nothing ever happens.
I'm pretty sure I saw it moving during the night.
It must have been the wind.
What wind, there hasn't been any---
My parents told me that you can't always trust your senses
because they might mislead you and make you believe what you already want to believe...
Especially your eyes!
They also told me about the ladder.
My father actually thinks that it doesn't exist.
And my mom says that the ladder is just a natural part of the landscape.
Did she ever climb it?
Do you want to climb it?
Mmm, I don't know... with my friends maybe?
[clack]
Are we there yet?
Almost.
You told me that it was right around the corner!
And it is!
There you go!
Hey!
Slow down Bernice, my feet hurt!
Hello everyone!
Hey mister, you're an old fella.
You musta heard about the ladder right?
Of course.
I know everything about the ladder.
I know what science says about the ladder, it leads to insanity.
People who climb it, never come back.
And if they come back, they're not the same anymore.
Yes... but have you climbed it?
I must have met someone who did it.
But it was such a long time ago...
[laughing]
What's funny exactly?
You, you are funny. You are pathetically funny.
WHAT?!
You're all stuck in here.
Wondering about the ladder and asking yourself what it is and what it's going to do to you.
And.. what's wrong with that? We don't know much about the ladder.
Can't you see what the ladder really is?
Of course we can't! Otherwise we would have climbed it already.
Well, I know what the ladder is.
Because I've climbed it many many times.
And yes, it can drive you a little mad.
In fact you must be a little crazy in the first place to climb it
so....
And what about the fact that people don't come back?
Some people don't, but I did.
Think about that third fact.
The ladder changes you, you don't come back because you're not the same anymore.
In fact, I came here to climb it again!
COOL!
So uh, I guess this is farewell.
[gasps]
Don't you feel alone?
I'm never alone.
There are always people like you stuck at the bottom of the ladder...
Every single time.
Hey! Why don't you just share what you know so people won't get stuck here anymore?!
You really don't see it, huh?
The ladder is not the same for everyone.
Maybe my first one wasn't as scary as yours.
But we all have our own ladder.
I can't teach you how to climb yours...
as it's not the same as mine.
You'll have to figure out by yourself.
Is it worth it are you happy now?
The truth is, every time it's a different ladder for me as well.
[creaks echoing]
This one looks even steeper than the last one.
So why do you keep coming back?
Look around you! Do you see anything else?
The ladder is all there is!
Hmph!
[wind blowing]
BY KOTOPOPI