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.