How many stars is it in the universe? Has anyone counted them? Is it possible to count them? And where does the universe stop? That’s an amazing thought. More amazing than counting stars in the universe or grain of sand on a beach disappearing in the horizon.

Arthur stood with his legs solid on the ground, with his face up into the dark universe. His watch had 5 minutes to go before it was twelve o’clock midnight, and for sure, he knew that everything strange and magic happened twelve o’clock in the midnight. Everyone said so and he had read it everywhere. Even granny and grandpa had told him that when the time struck midnight it was magic. It was the end and the beginning of the days. The end of the day told about experiences, and that was important, ‘cause that’s what he had to use in the new day, but the beginning of the day ... it was ... it was more important. Everything could happen anytime. The beginning of the day was special. It could tell him that this could be the day he was waiting for. Just when the day started had to be the most important time of the day.

He was 12 years. He and his family spent summer holidays in his grandparents’ residence on the countryside. He had climbed out of the window from 1st floor with the rope he used to use when he took his small trips out after the rest of the family had gone to bed. Sneaked soundless through the garden on the backside of the house, climbed over the fence and sneaked up to the little green spot behind the big oak tree. He had done it the whole summer. It was a strange feeling that urged him. He knew he had to do it, but he didn’t understand why, and at the same time he understood why, because he knew that the magic split between every day should tell him something.

Maybe it was nonsense? Maybe it wouldn’t happen anything at all? But inside it was a little spark of knowing that said that something would happen. The spark was so sure that it was almost irritating.

It had to be more than ten thousand stars up there. He could count so far, but it was difficult to keep the stars in order so he just had to guess. It was even stars so far away that they weren’t visible for his naked eye. Well, it had to be more than ten thousand. Millions, of course! Millions! Then it was more than it was possible to count. Why hadn’t he thought like that before? It hits you in the eye that it's millions.

He looked at his watch. Only two minutes. It had gone only two minutes! It was like two days. Three minutes left. Maybe he should go back to the bed to show the spark that he was tired of waiting. Day by day and nothing had happened. He took a deep breath. No! He should wait. The spark wasn’t just a joke. He knew things that only he knew. He knew that no one had seen and heard what he had seen and heard. He had learned to keep things for himself. Only granny and grandpa nodded their heads when he told them what he had seen and heard. They said it was the spirits, and that the spirits was just as real as the trees and flowers and ourselves. Yes, they knew too.

He remembered he was not more than 4 years when he saw the man with the big black hat, the dark beard and the long dark brown overcoat came through the fence gate and up to their house. He saw him through the kitchen window and heard when the man rang the doorbell. He had run to the door and opened it. The man looked at him, smiled and said; -”Hello, hello, Arthur.” He heard his mother came behind him and turned around.

-”What is it Art? You wanna go out? You have to take on your shoes first, don’t you know?”

-”The man, Mammy. He’s here,” he said and turned around to the door again, but it was no man there. -”The man, Mammy?”

-”The man? It’s no man there,” she said and looked at the doorway. -”Don’t play that trick again, Art. Come on, I’ll help you with the shoes.”

He had told about what he saw and heard before. His mother had been lenient to him, laughed and smiled, but in time more and more sharp in her voice. His father always said the same; -”That boy has a vivid imagination. I hope it won’t make trouble for him.”

The memory of the man in hat, beard and overcoat was the memory he best had in his mind from his earliest age. Later he saw and heard people and animals that he knew were from ‘the other side’, but he didn’t talk about it. Only to his granny and grandpa.