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.