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.