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.