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.