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.