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.