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.