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.