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