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.