Christmas Eve snow was pressing into the windows of Mai's townhouse. The kitchen smelled of poppies and oranges, and the clock ticked like a sled. Maja hung paper stars on a string and hummed a carol. At the bottom of the box she found a wooden bauble in the shape of a star. It was smooth and heavy, and tiny marks were carved on its arms. Inside, something quietly sounded, like a bell from far away. A note was tied to the string: Do not open before the first star. Grandpa Leon raised his eyebrows and inhaled the smell of gingerbread. He said the star was his grandmother's, from an old Christmas Eve of Miracles. Apparently it shows the way once in many years to one who listens. Grandpa smiled, but took the bauble and put it on the sideboard. - 'First dinner, then magic,' he muttered, adjusting the lights. Maja pretended to be calm, but she could feel her breathing getting faster and faster. A huge luminous Christmas tree top was about to light up in the market. Instead of a glow, there was only the whispering of a surprised crowd. A whirlwind dimmed the bulbs and the mayor spread his hands helplessly. At the same moment, the bauble on the sideboard glowed with a warm light. The marks on its arms formed a simple map of the city. An arrow pulsed by the old clock tower by the river. - He wants me to go alone,' whispered Maja uncertainly. She threw on her coat, grabbed her torch and slipped the star into her pocket. The streets creaked under the snow, and the sound of a carol carried from far away. A buried staircase and a doorway with a frozen crest waited beneath the tower. The same mark as on the bauble glittered in the ice. Maja pressed the star against the gouge and heard a quiet click. When she pressed the handle, a shadow moved and someone whispered her name.