A ray of sunlight fell through the open door into the humble, empty room. It was warm outside. The wind gently brushed through the heather. Soft breaths of air wafted through the room where the sick man was lying.

How pale he was! Hollow cheeks, sunken eyes, bluish lips, pointed and waxen nose. The man lying there would probably never get up again. Goodbye, green meadows and sunshine! Youthful dreams and springtime bliss, goodbye!

The sick man was sleeping.

Mild exhaustion had come over him after the cramps and suffering of his life-draining illness. He slept the final invigorating sleep before passing into nirvana.

In his dream, his life passed before his eyes—all of his misery had an end, his grief was over, finally he found love! His heart was pounding so feverishly, his pulse was beating so violently, his whole being wanted to dissolve into unprecedented delights of happiness.

Then the door was violently torn open, and the carpenter stuck his ugly, stupid, common face in through the door. The doctor had summoned him to come by to measure a coffin.

He thought he would be ready by now. But he wasn’t finished yet.

When the carpenter’s heavy fist fell noisily on the door handle, the dying man jumped and—woke up. His dream: the feeling of happiness was so intense that he cried out—happiness! Happiness!

His fading gaze looked around the room as if something physical and tangible had to appear to him.

When he saw the carpenter, he no longer doubted how things were going. It was so bitter, this awakening! He had just felt so comfortable in his sleep. The chills had given way to a pleasant warmth. His chest no longer hurt, only his head seemed a little affected, and he had a blissful, comforting feeling of happiness.

Finally, once, for the first time only, this feeling had been in his trembling, fearful human heart! Now he wanted to grasp it, hold it, now! And there he was lying on his death bed! He looked around the room. Where did it go? And what was it?

While the precautious carpenter, in order to not have made the journey in vain, measured the living body, the dying man pondered.