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.