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.