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.