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.