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.