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.