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.