as  we cross  the mountain, we can  walk 
 only at night.  long ago,  someone  here 
 must've  angered the  sun, and  today it 
 still  burns us strangely. but with  the 
 sunset the  air comes raining  back down 
 and  gets thick  enough  to  breathe. it 
 carries with  it  smells from far  away, 
 colourful sparks for the  imagination, a 
 sharp contrast  for the stale  black  of 
 the night.                               
                                          
 the others  think  i'm young, they don't 
 take  me  seriously  and  i  fear   they 
 snicker  a  bit.  you  usually  get  old 
 before  you  learn the  trade  enough to 
 take other people.  but  i  do lead them 
 safely     forward,     every     night. 
                                          
 however,  currently  there  seems  to be 
 something going  on ahead. those  around 
 the  corner  have   stopped,   shouting, 
 pointing.                                
                                          
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                                          
 my greatest treasure, the                
 book of stars,  is   a   combined   map, 
 calendar and  timepiece  as long as  you 
 know  what  year it is. every page is  a 
 grid  of  nine  starfields,  hand drawn, 
 below which  are written coordinates  in 
 both space  and  time.  a  lot of  it is 
 applicable on  earth,  but  not  all. it 
 hints  of  other  places  -  some  stars 
 reordered,   some  names  i  have  never 
 heard.   sometimes    the   dates    are 
 impossible.                              
                                          
 those pages  are exactly what i scramble 
 for right  now. i've stopped  breathing. 
 i  sling  open  the book of  stars a bit 
 too  quick, spilling all my notes on the 
 ground. one  lands on my  foot,  it is a 
 drawing of a  muscle cow,  but  i  could 
 care less right now.                     
                                          
 for it seems like there's a new moon  in 
 the sky.