The bell rang, its voice announcing the end of an era. Its tone was that of a doorbell. I could not help but imagine the visage of death standing at the doorway awaiting my impending doom, for I was about to leave the safety of my beloved Latin and enter into the realms of the foreboding and paradoxically, perplexing platitudes of them mystifying mathematics. My spirits were cast down, down to be trampled by the throngs of students traversing the labyrinthine corridors.

          As I entered that dark and menacing hall, that ironclad hall with the room that haunts me so, I took solace in the knowledge that I would soon be reunited with my friends. To suffer this cruel fate alone would be too much for ones soul, but in the company of companions the journey into this territory can be made bearable.

           That day the fates seemed to smile upon my unlucky soul. As I neared that dreadful place, with all its foreign laws and infuriating complexities, I rejoiced. Once again my comrades and I assembled to brave this sinister realm. Our journey began with a levity which could only have been begat from ignorance. Our entrance was easy, for we knew little of the trials to come.

          We had braved this land several times before. We knew that as long as we were together we would survive. We proceeded as before, sticking together, wary of the dangers in front of us. Standing directly in front of us was a fiend, grinning for it knew of our fate. It came toward us and we became separated. The future looked grim, for without allies we would surely perish. The fiend’s treachery was complete. Once it had separated us, we were alone, completely and utterly alone. The trials to come were brutal, sapping all of ones strength, will, and mentality. I caught a glimpse of my comrades; they too, were being tested by the fiend. Then, as if from a far away land, there was a ringing noise. That faint little “ding dong” resonated throughout my body, renewing my strength and giving me the courage to go on.

          Luckily, it appeared that the distant ringing had affected them as well. The fiend grew docile but its distant droning utterances could still be heard. We endured the auditory attack. Such postulates and theorems could only have been produced by one so mad. After what seemed an eternity, my comrades and I heard a glorious sound. That ringing ding dong, that assuring signal of hope, how it did warm our hearts! At this time, I knew I had stayed in that dreadful land long enough. I began to make my way out, out of this gloomy land and back into the iron clad halls. As I stepped into the dark hall, I was reunited with my comrades. The silence was truly overpowering. We did not speak of the recent horrors until the sunlight spoke to our wearied limbs. It renewed us fully, but still we were not at ease. It reminded us that just as it would rise again, so would we. We would have to rise again the next day and begin the treacherous journey once more.