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.