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.