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.