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