,,-\^%¤¶## ##¶¤%^\-,,
¨¨,»^=@#£@ @£#@=^»,¨¨
...~»^§$¤# #¤$§^»~...
¨...,»^§$# #$§^»,...¨
¨,.¨¨,-=§£ £§=-,¨¨.,¨
,¨¨.,¨:~/$ ¨ , « / * ~ , . $/~:¨,.¨¨,
¨,,¨..~;%§ , ^ ~ † \ « , . §%;~..¨,,¨
,¨..~=\%$# . ~ ~ ; : - , ¨ #$%\=~..¨,
.,,,-\*§#@ ¨ , « \ \ » ^ ¨ @#§*\-,,,.
¨¨,-;=@¤## ##¤@=;-,¨¨
.~=**$@@## 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. &=\~^.,..,
..,¨,..-*= =*-..,¨,..
,,,,.:-**£ £**-:.,,,,
¨¨,.:~=^££ ££^=~:.,¨¨
¨¨¨,=/*§¤£ £¤§*/=,¨¨¨
.,,=/§£§## ##§£§/=,,.
,,~*%@§#@# #@#§@%*~,,