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.