If I were to look for the best analogy, then I must say that the Qurand is most cosmologically similar to an onion.

I know that onions are not nearly as beautiful as water lilies, nor as romantic as roses, nor as beautifully poisonous as the herb-paris. Nevertheless, onions have a few special properties that we can pause to consider.

It is said about onions that if a person is hungry, then its aroma smells good to him, if he is full or overeaten, then it stinks. A parable. It is certainly no coincidence that onions are an ingredient in many dishes and that they give them strength and energy. And it is certainly no coincidence that a person cries when they cut themselves with onion skins. In the case of onions, this is due to a certain relatively superficial physiology, in the case of stories I would rather talk about psychology. However, what is no coincidence at all and what is the greatest similarity between onions and the Qurand is the existence of skins.

Yes, the Qurand has layers. Every story you hear here, every Great Explanation of Everything you access, every character trait, every nature, every structure of the world you uncover is written on a layer, under which there is another layer. The top layer is waiting for anyone who walks by and just glances at “how are things,” the top layer is found here on the pages.

In short, the top layer is free. And that’s why it’s not worth much. It’s good as a starting idea, as something that allows us the first, second, third, and sixteenth wonder that everything is actually different after all. However, anyone who doesn’t just want to peek at the top layer and sacrifices a few of those happy or tragic tears to cut through the onion of the cosmos will soon recognize the flatness of the first layer, even though the scene depicted on it seems plastic.

The flatness stands out in contrast to the depth of what is “underneath.” We will not condemn the outer shell, because it is still true. However, it is so inadequately descriptive of the mysterious realm of reality that it needs to be radically expanded. And so we expand. But even this is not definitive. And so on. Just an onion.

Welcome to the first peel!