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.