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.