Jusuf Nurkic strolled through the mountainous landscapes on the outskirts of his new city. His fellow Nuggets had warned him about things like “warm clothes” and “staying on the trails”, but he had paid them no heed. He wanted nothing to distract him from the natural beauty.
And beautiful it was. Snow covered his entire view, except for the steely-gray sky and the occasional evergreen. His new teammates did not understand his wanderlust; they were content to sit in their homes in the big city and live meaningless lives of modernity. Their loss, he thought, as he crested another hill.
He stopped. There was something new, something out of place out here where humans rarely tread. It was a giant brick wall, stretching from horizon to horizon, hundreds of feet high, blocking the way forward. He had seen pictures of the Great Wall of China in his textbooks, and this was comparable, though much more imposing. He did not know how he has not seen it before, as its large size should have made it visible from many miles away. Looking closer, he saw some faint writing, covering the whole thing in various styles and sizes.
“The Rookie Wall”
He walked up to it, feeling it with his fingers. He kind of wanted to go this way, and he wasn’t going to let this get in the way of his will. Cocking back his fist, he struck the masonry, as if guided by an overarching force. Surprisingly, the wall crumbled beneath his fist as if it were nothing but paper.
He continued striking, working his way further and further through the mysterious construction. Just as his arm was getting tired, a final punch sent him flying out the other side. In front of him was a serene lake, with a gorgeous mountain peak reflecting in its waters.
It started rippling. The waves on the surface seemed to be forming letters.
“Rookie of the Year”