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.