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.