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.