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.