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.