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.