"Lars, dinner will be ready soon," 
"Yes mom!" a young boy says, eagerly climbing the windscorn sandstone bricks of his house.  
The salty evening air sweeps through Lars' messy blond hair, and the sound of waves crashing against the rocks fills his ears. As he steps onto the roof his face is washed in warm orange light. 
"Woah," he says softly.  
A gem merchant passing by on the road stops and smiles at him, "Whad'ya see, boy?" 
Lars sits down and lets his feet swing freely off the edge. He makes a triangle with his fingers and peers through at the returning sailboats, "It's like they're floating on the sky."  
The merchant's aged eyes settle in the same direction, "Beautiful, isn't it." 
"Lars," Mom calls, "The food's getting cold. Come down. You can watch the sunset again tomorrow," 
The merchant chuckles and passes on his way. Lars climbs down and skips inside, dusting off the sand from the day's adventures.  
At the dinner table his parents sit down with a weight they've never shown before. A solemn glance between them is enough for the room to grow cold, and for the small table to seem horribly large.  
"Son," Dad says immediately, "Now that you're ten..." 
Mom sets her hand on Dad's shoulder.  
"Now that you're helping me at the yard and all," he continues, "Mom and I thought it was time to tell you," 
"Tell me what?" Lars asks, "We can't get the boat this year?" 
Mom absently serves Lars a scoop of chowder, "You should have some before it gets cold," 
"It's okay if we can't get the boat this year. Erik's family says they're gonna get one next year,"  
Dad's eyes betray a sudden pain. "We're probably not gonna be getting a boat...ever," 
The words settle like a dropped millstone, pinning him in place on Lars to the wooden chair.  
"We're in debt," Dad says, "A really big debt. It's not something we wanted to burden you with when you were younger," 
"But we figured it was time," mom says.  
"In debt?" The words tumble awkwardly out of Lars' mouth. 
Mom pushes the bowl of chowder across the table, "We can't afford to be buying a boat, son. But it sounds like you can go on adventures with Erik and his family,"  
Lars looks between his parents but neither one of them can find the courage to look him in the eyes.  
"Why? What happened?" 
Dad's hands come to rest on his chin, his elbows on the table. The sun damage and tight muscles on his arms document decades of hard labor in the harbor yard.  
"Many fathers ago my family committed an offense," 
"Offense?" Mom says, shaking her head, "Treason," 
Dad nudges his bowl with the spoon, "So ever since, our family has been paying off a debt that never ends," 
Later that night, falling asleep is impossible. Normally the waves lull Lars to sleep, but tonight they're a constant reminder of the debt.  
Very early in the morning Lars slips out of bed and sneaks outside. His bare feet pat across the white stone street. North of the shipyard, the rocky shore gives way to a patch of softer sand. It's there that Lars lays down, staring up at the uncountable map of stars. His eyes immediately pick out the hunter, the large bear and her cub, the dragon, the dolphin and so many more. The hope that they'd one day help him navigate his own ship fades into still night air. 
A soft crunching approaches on the sand, startling Lars. He sits up to see the gem merchant who stops with a curious smile. "And what do we have here?" 
Lars runs his fingers through the sand ruefully. "What are you doing here?" 
"The sky is beautiful tonight, so I came to watch it for a while. It seems you had the same idea," the merchant chuckles softly, "Tell me, what do you see up there?" 
Lars scoffs. The merchant comes to a realization. 
"Hmm, you're not here to watch the sky," 
The edge of frustration appears in Lar's voice 
"It's late, what do you want from me?" 
"What are you running from, boy?" 
"My parents said we're in debt," 
The merchant's face loosens to a more natural, serious state. The true face of a sage.  
"To who," 
"I'm not sure. I guess the king," 
The merchant takes a second to lower himself down onto the sand and sits cross-legged beside Lars. "A wrong of your forefathers?"  
Lars nods. The merchant cracks a smile too faint to notice.  
"I had a feeling. The weight of a debt you were born into and yet can never pay off, it's far too heavy for any child to bear. But it falls on your shoulders all the same," 
"You're rich, why do you care?" 
"Being rich, if you want to call it that, doesn't deprive me of understanding," 
"But my problems aren't your problems," 
The merchant gazes up at the stars. 
"Yes, and my problem isn't yours either. Yet, I believe we can help each other,"  
"How on earth can I help you?" 
"Walking past your house is the highlight of my evening stroll. You know that? I delight in the adventure that lives in your heart. It gives life to this old pile of bones," 
In the distance the horizon begins to glow with the warmth of a coming sunrise. 
"Please just help me pay the debt. How do I become rich like you?" 
The merchant frowns. 
"Let's make a deal," 
"A deal?" 
"I'll tell you what. Watch the sunrise with me as often as you can, and I'll pay your families debt," 
Lars can't help but laugh.  
"Do you even know how much we owe? Dad says it's more than I could ever pay off. That's not a fair deal for you," 
"It's worth it for me," 
"How?" 
"I could have almost anything I want. As you said, "I have riches galore," the merchant scratches his chin, "I've sailed across the world, tasted rare foods, and I even lived in a castle once. But the one thing money won't buy me is company," 
Lars allows his eyes to dart between the constellations again. 
"Is it really as simple as you say?" 
The merchant laughs. 
"It's my job to find deals that benefit both sides. I'm good at this," 
"And you're sure you're okay with this deal?" Lars asks. 
"I couldn't be happier with it," 
Lars sticks a hand out as he'd Dad do many times before, and the merchant gladly accepts.  
The birds have begun leaving their nests and the horizon glows a stronger orange. If Lars looked back towards the dock he'd surely see ship crews preparing for the day's work. 
The gem merchant looks up and points to the brightening sky.  
"While you can still see ‘em, tell me, do you have a favorite?" 
"The constellations?" 
The merchant nods. Lars smiles. 
"Of course, the bear cub," 
"Oh?" 
"It's got the north star, so when I get my own boat I'll never lose my bearing," Lars pauses to take ahold of his hope for the future again, "And it's next to the mama bear, so even when I'm out at sea I'll be reminded about Mom and Dad.  
"I've never heard a more perfect reason. You know, most people say they like the scorpion or the dragon," 
"Why's that?" 
"Simply because they're fierce creatures I suppose," 
"That's boring," 
"Isn't it!" 
The merchant faces the crest of bright gold that just poked over the horizon. In the opposite direction the waves glisten with light blue and yellow. 
"Woah," Lars whispers.  
The merchant smiles proudly.  
"It's beautiful to watch the sun set, the gold and pink spread out across the sea. But it's so much better to watch the sun rise. The light coming through the buildings and the trees to illuminate the entire town. It fills you with an energy that nothing else does," 
Lars ponders for a moment. 
"It's like the sunset is a reminder that an even better sunrise is coming," 
The merchant lights up. 
"I like that," 
People soon fill the shore, the fishermen begin casting their lines, the ship crews bark orders back and forth, and the market stands grow crowded with cooks buying fresh goods. 
"Head on home," the merchant says, "Don't make your parents any more worried than you already have," 
"Already, are you sure?" 
"Absolutely. Thanks for watching the sunrise with me," 
Lars brings a hand to his forehead in disbelief. 
"No, thank you," 
The gem merchant waves a hand. In the morning light Lars catches a proper view of the shiny jewelry on his fingers. 
"Is that the king's crest!" Lars asks, recognizing the shape belonging to the royal family.  
"Oh, I suppose it is," 
The gem merchant winks.