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.