What a most peculiar thing, I say. Thirty days of rain and snow but not a single soul to ease the pain. Yet temptations and distractions abound. Ten thousand years. The becoming of the Es into the I, a constant convective force, always mutating, always unstable. Wo Es war soll Ich werden.

«I'm not sure of the date», I mumble as I come down the stairs, «I've been thinking about something else entirely. I've been feeling unwell». He looks at me with suspicion. I can tell he does not believe me. Suddenly I realize I'm trembling; don't know if it's the fear or the cold. He takes a seat in front of me with a certain agitation. «Listen, there is really nothing you can do, alright?», I say with all the confidence I am capable off, «And you really should not have a part in this... Why- Why did you come here?».

The moon rises over the frozen lake, casting a dim light over the crest of the mountains the other side of the valley. Silence on the lake and the world stands still. Gazing over the plain, an owl quickly takes flight and shouts «No gods here but me!». The room is now dimly lit and the uneasiness I felt before was growing to panic with every beat of my heart, the only sound I can hear. My guest looks at me nervously, as if gazing at me causes him a physical revulsion. A sudden chill reminds me I've not closed the window upstairs giving me the opportunity, I think, to break this unnerving lock. I cannot move.

Then everything stops and the room is dark. A faint light is coming from the corner where my guest is sitting. He looks paler and... calm. He begins to speak: «There is not a single soul in this dying world who can bear the weight of their own existence. We, unembodied ghosts of flame, are dancing on a pernicious edge and gladly awaiting the fall. The knowledge you carry has left you scarred, though you knew, when you entered the path, that what is given is given by birth. The misery in which you revel is more ancient than the stars and will long outlive them. Don't you already know, that every man is a star? Don't fret now but ponder these dreamy words: you have waited so long to obtain what is now given, and you shall see that I am a merciful god. But our essence is one and I live within you.»
As he was speaking I felt an anger mounting in me, directed towards him. I want him to stop and to go away. I can feel my hands clenching the edge of the couch growing numb. He has finished. I throw myself upon his chair with violence but it's empty. I feel the main door lock, calm steps down the stairs then silence. I was again alone.