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.