Chrysippus looked to Walden across the campfire waiting for a response. It was a crisp, clear night and while he waited, the air filled with the sounds of flames licking wood and mirrowhils cooing in tall trees around us. She took her time, slowly rotating the espejo on the end of her stick until its meat started to turn white.

“What else is there to explore around here,” she said, turning the question over as if it too were on the end of a stick. A soubrette, chirping refletir joined the night’s chorus before she spoke again, “Well, there’s the shrine have you been there?”

I thought Chrysippus would lose it. There was no sign of the shrine—not when Walden had told us about it when we first arrived and not after a week of intense searching. I began suspecting the little hermit was fucking with us and was dangerously close to an outburst when Chrysippus responded, “No, we haven’t been to the shrine can you tell us about it?” There wasn’t a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Instead, it crackled with genuine curiosity. Walden flashed a toothy grin and began with the same cheery wistfulness the same story we had heard the day of our arrival. I wondered what the fuck kind of game these two were playing.

“When he was alive my dad used to tell me, ‘In the middle of Mirror Lake lies an ancient shrine of unknown purpose or origin. The shrine sits at the top of a steep staircase 99 step staircase—a small lone pagoda with a faded inscription that reads, ‘See things for what they are. Do what you can. Endure what you must’. It’s said that the true meaning of the words is only understood by those who venture to the shrine.’ I’ve never been, but it sounds kind of spooky and ominous, right?”

Walden finished with a sigh, ripping a chunk of meat from the charred espejo.

“Interesting,” I said in a tone that I hope suggested the opposite, “It seems like quite the place. I’d love to go explore. It would be great to add to the map… Speaking of which, I wanted to show you something on it, can you come with me”. I got up, beckoning Chrysippus. He was quick to follow.

“We’ll only be a moment,” he said. Walden smiled at us and said nothing.

When we were out of earshot, Chrysippus was the first to speak.

“Seems like we’re thinking the same thing.”

“You think Walden’s hiding something from us?”, I said.

“Well… Not so much hiding. Let’s just say, I get the impression that she’s knows way more about this shrine than she’s letting on. Did you notice that her little story, intonation and everything was exactly the same as the first time she told us…” I had noticed.

“It’s like she’s performing a script—something that was rehearsed.”

“Yeah,” I said, relieved that I didn’t have to convince my travelling partner that something suspicious was afoot, “Why the hell does a self-proclaimed hermit rehearse some lines about a shrine that doesn’t exist.”

“It does exist,” Chrysippus said, “Errr, or at least, I strongly choose to believe it does.”

“Why?”

“Call it a hunch. Anyway, I’m pretty convinced there’s hidden meaning in the story. For one, there’s nothing around here that’s high enough to have 99 steps and doesn’t it seem to you like the inscriptions are more like instructions? Like, why memorialize something with those directives?”

“You have a point. So let’s assume they are instructions. Maybe the first one ‘See things for what they are’ is telling us to—”

“Did you figure it out yet?” Walden said emerging from the darkness. We nearly shit ourselves. She looked different for some reason. “Ugh, well regardless, I think you guys would have got there eventually and I was getting tired of waiting. Do you know how hard acting is for me?” We were too stunned to speak. I escaped my stupor first.

“You, aren’t what you seem, we needed to see you for what you are to get to the shrine.”

“Duh” Walden said with her toothy grin, “I’m a guardian, not everyone is allowed passage to the shrine you have to prove yourself worthy. And I’m the first test.” She touched the map gently. A golden dot appeared in the middle of Mirror Lake. “My work is done. Good luck”.