Guide Peter hurries off before I can respond to his plan. Was I to follow this man, this guide, into the depths of Hell? I look to Guide Aesop for a moment, weighing my options.
Was I to be caught by the fisherman? Saint Peter is oft described as a man of strong faith, but even rock proved to be an unstable foundation for faith. If I choose the forgiven sinner as my guide I would likely choose to seek redemption and forgiveness for sins -delaying the promise to Bradley or something more fundamental like my unbounded curiosity?- and wavering faith.
Or should I instead heed the advise of a slave? The improvidence of the grasshopper and the vanity of the hare... would I be akin to a dog barking at his own watery reflection if I were to climb those stairs?
Aesop taught prudence and Peter led to faith. Turning from prudence, I mount the stairs. With such options, was it really wrong to choose the option that also offered coveted insights?
If met with resistance