Strange but beautiful Sound...

[Guest guest]

A man was driving near a monastery when his car broke down.

He knocked on the monastery door, and said, " My car broke

down. Do you think I could stay the night? "

 

The monks graciously accepted him, fed him dinner, even fixed

his car. As the man tried to fall asleep, he heard a strange but

beautiful sound.

 

The next morning, he asked the monks what the sound was,

but they said, " We can't tell you. You're not a monk. " The man

was disappointed, but thanked them anyway and went on his

way.

 

Some years later, the same man's car broke down in front of

the same monastery. The monks again accepted him, fed him,

and fixed his car. That night, he heard the same strange

sound he had heard years earlier. The next morning, he asked

what it was, but the monks reply, " We can't tell you. You're

not a monk. " The man replied, " All right, all right. I need to

know. How do I become a monk? "

 

The head monk replied, " You must travel the earth and tell us

how many blades of grass there are and the exact number of

sand pebbles. When you find these numbers, you will become

a monk. "

 

The man set about his task, and returned forty-five years later.

At the monastery. He announced, " I have traveled the earth

and have found what you have asked for. There are

145,236,284,232 blades of grass, and 231,281,219,999,129,382

sand pebbles on the earth. "

 

The head monk replied, " Congratulations. You are now a

monk. We shall now show you the way to the sound. "

 

Several monks led the new monk to a wooden door, where

the head monk said, " The sound is behind that door. "

 

The new monk reached for the knob, only to discover the

door was locked. He said, " Real funny, " he said. " May I have

the key? "

 

Another monk gave him the key, and the door was opened.

Behind the wooden door was another door made of stone.

The new monk asked for the key to the stone door. When

he opened it he found another door made of ruby.

 

The key to that door revealed another, this one made of

sapphire. So it went until the new monk had gone through

doors of emerald, silver, topaz, and amethyst.

 

Finally, the head monk relieved the new monk by announcing,

" This is the key to the last door. "

 

He unlocked the door, turned the knob, and behind that

door he was amazed to find the source of the strange sound.

But I can't tell you what it is because you're not a monk.