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.