,.,«†%§$$# #$$§%†«,.,
.~-\^£#£## ##£#£^\-~.
,,»^%$@££@ @££@$%^»,,
¨.=;*¤¤¶## ##¶¤¤*;=.¨
¨.-*$§£¶## ##¶£§$*-.¨
¨,«=^§¤@@# ¨ , ~ ^ ^ = , ¨ #@@¤§^=«,¨
.^~/%¤@### ¨ : = * ^ = . . ###@¤%/~^.
,~~=%$£### . : « : † « ^ . ###£$%=~~,
..»=§£#### ¨ , - ; ^ ~ , ¨ ####£§=»..
¨.==*$#£@£ £@£#$*==.¨
¨-=:§$&@## as we cross the mountain, we can walk ##@&$§:=-¨
.,-\*§&£@# 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 £@§*=.,,¨¨
,-~\%$@@## the sky. ##@@$%\~-,
..»^%@@### ###@@%^»..
.,-;*&§@## ##@§&*;-,.
¨.-/*††%@£ £@%††*/-.¨
,--^†£§#¶@ @¶#§£†^--,
.:=^\*=@ @#&=*\^=:.
,-~/*$£### ###£$*/~-,