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.