Koron and Lora are walking in the mountains. They have been on their way since early morning, and it is almost time for a short midday rest. Only a short one, though, for they want to reach the summit by noon so that they can be back in the valley before evening.

They settle down in a rocky alcove and unpack their sandwiches and apples.

“The weather seems to be holding,” says Koron, and Lora nods.

“We are lucky. Thank heaven!”

“The view is magnificent from up there. You can see the full majesty of these mountains and the wonderful beauty of the valleys. Oh, how I love the mountains!” Koron cries as they prepare themselves for the rest of the climb. It will be hard enough, and the last stretch will have to be climbed. But they make it, and at last they are standing beneath the summit cross. Their eyes wander far across the land. Koron takes Lora’s hand, and they stand there in awed silence.

Then, quite suddenly, the world changes.

Within seconds, thick grey clouds have formed all around and above the mountain, enclosing the two of them tightly. Lora begins to tremble, and Koron is deeply frightened too. What is happening? He has never experienced anything like this. A dull rumbling comes from within the mountain, and the ground begins to move. Koron and Lora quickly sit down so that they do not lose their balance. They cannot flee, for within the clouds there is nothing to see. So they wait anxiously to discover what is going to happen next.

All around them, rocks begin to grow out of the ground, forming a closed circle. Worse still, the rocks have faces! They look down at the two hikers with serious, almost grim expressions. For a long time there is complete silence on the mountain, apart from the continuing rumbling deep inside it.

Suddenly, a figure emerges from between the rocks. It is vaguely human in shape, small, about the size of a twelve-year-old child, and seems to be made entirely of stone.

The creature sits down opposite Koron and Lora and studies them intently. After examining them carefully, it finally begins to speak.

“Lora, Koron – the mountains know you. We know that you travel with consideration, that you love walking, and that the mountains are not simply piles of stone to you. That is why you are meeting me now. The time has come.”

Lora and Koron remain silent in astonishment. They are certain that the creature will continue speaking when the time is right. What could they possibly have said anyway? Then the stone creature stands up.

“Come with me, and do not be afraid. We need you. Please follow me.”

The couple look at each other and, in silent agreement, get to their feet. Hand in hand, they follow the strange creature. They pass between the stone faces, follow a very narrow path a little way down the mountain, and stop in front of a smooth rock face. The stone creature stands quietly before the wall. After a few moments, a kind of portal opens. And beyond it … no, that is not a cave. That is … a lovely landscape, bathed in sunshine and inviting them in. Koron and Lora are left speechless.

Filled with anticipation, they follow the stone creature through the opening. It leads them along a broad path made of short grass. In the distance they can see a forest, and they draw ever closer to it. Just before they reach it, they stop in dismay.

All the trees are made of stone.

Only now do they realise that they have been walking across stone grass as well. The trees have no faces; they are completely rigid and still. Nothing moves. Nothing rustles. It is cold, too, and the loveliness of their first impression has vanished.

“Please keep coming – we have not reached our destination yet,” the stone creature says, and walks on.

Koron and Lora follow in silence, although a whole mountain of questions is piling up inside them. But somehow they feel that now is not the time for questions. After a while, the view opens out. The trees no longer stand so closely together, and they can see the end of the path. It leads through a gate towards a mighty building.

Several steps lead up to the entrance. Is it a castle? Or a fortress? Or …?

The gate itself is flanked by two large dogs – both made of stone, although they look as if they had only just been alive. The gate opens all by itself as they approach.

Inside, a vast hall opens before them. It is empty apart from a number of figures who appear to have been frozen in the middle of movement. They all resemble their guide and companion, though they are larger and presumably older.

Koron and Lora are speechless, for compassion closes their throats. A catastrophe has clearly happened here, and their little guide must be terribly sad, perhaps even desperate.

The stone creature turns towards a door, and they follow him in silence. The door opens into a relatively small, cosy-looking room, with comfortable seats, many bookshelves lining the walls, and a beautiful fireplace. A fire burns in it – or rather, it used to burn, for even the flames have been turned to stone. Their guide walks over to one of the shelves and takes out a book.

And this book is NOT made of stone.

He invites Koron and Lora to sit down, then sits down himself after placing the book on the stone table in the middle of the room. And now their guide speaks for the first time since they reached the summit.

“This is the home of my people. We have lived here for thousands of years, in peace with the mountains and with the world. But – as your poets say – even the best of people cannot live in peace if their wicked neighbour will not allow it. And such a neighbour lives in the land beyond the mountains. He has set his sights on our treasures – and has no idea what our treasures really are. He thinks of mineral resources, ores, precious stones. And so he has cursed us – so that he can hollow out and mine our mountains without disturbance.”

Koron and Lora are horrified. But now it is time to ask questions. Lora is the first to open her mouth. (Well, she is a girl, and girls are said to be rather talkative.)

“You brought us here, and that means we have a task to fulfil. But we are just ordinary people. How are we supposed to fight a spell like this? “Tell us what we have to do, and we will do it. Won’t we, Koron?”

Koron nods firmly. “Of course. We will help as best we can.”

The stone creature seems to breathe a sigh of relief. He takes the book in his hands and holds it out to them.

“A story has been begun in this book. You must finish it in such a way that our world can become alive again. If you succeed, you will have freed us.”

Koron and Lora are left speechless. Finish a story? Koron places the book on the table and opens it. Both of them bend over it, ready to begin the story.

And there, simply, it says:

“I am. I want to be.”

“You are. You will give me life. You will write.”

The rest of the page is blank. And so are all the pages that follow. The young people look at each other helplessly. They wonder what they are supposed to do. They do not have to bring a world into existence. They have to make the world believe that it is alive.

And now the thought begins to dawn on them. They must walk through this world and breathe life into it, for the only thing this world lacks is breath.

The little stone creature jumps to his feet, goes to a cupboard and takes out a quill and an inkwell. He places them on the table and looks expectantly at the two of them.

Koron nods to Lora. “You write. Your handwriting is better than mine.” And he takes her right hand in his. Lora takes the quill in her left hand, ready to write. Their hearts are united now, and Lora writes:

“We write, and you begin to breathe. You believe in life, and life believes in you. – Breathe.”

It is completely silent in the room. Lora repeats:

“Breathe.”

A faint draught moves through the room, followed by the softest little crackling sound. A glow appears in the fireplace. Yes! The flames are coming alive!

Koron and Lora look at each other joyfully. It is working! And Lora writes again:

“Breathe!”

A deep sigh echoes through the room. The little stone creature is sitting in an armchair and … a tear runs down his stone cheek, which no longer looks quite so stony. It is still very quiet, and yet the room is slowly changing. Colour is returning, and a hint of warmth enters the air. And Lora writes:

“Breathe!”

The creature who was once made of stone gets to his feet. Colour has returned to him. A living boy is slowly emerging from the stone shell. It becomes thinner and thinner, until it gradually disappears. He runs to the window and opens it. The window begins to take on the texture of wood, and here too the stone slowly disappears. The whole room seems to be coming alive. And once again Lora writes:

“Breathe!”

A draught comes through the open window. A gentle wind is blowing outside, and the world grows brighter and brighter. The wind moves through the crown of the tree in the garden and … the leaves begin to move. They are green again. And the wind brushes across the grass, making it rise and sway in the breeze. And Lora writes:

“BREATHE. Breathe forever!”

Then she puts down the quill. Koron and Lora walk hand in hand to the window. Outside, the wind is blowing, and the world has colour again. Sounds are coming from the great hall into the little library.

The boy gives the two of them a loving look and opens the door into the hall. Koron and Lora enter the hall with him. And there they see a moving sight: People – people! – falling into each other’s arms, crying and laughing at the same time. The boy runs towards a couple and throws himself into their arms.

His parents are alive again.

Koron and Lora, however, quietly leave the hall and the house.

They walk back along the path that brought them here, in silence, their hearts overflowing.