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.