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.