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.