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.