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.