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.