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.