¨¨¤¨,...,¤ ¤.¤§#,,¨¨.
,&@...¨,#¨ ¤£¨¨§...¨,
¤,§.¨,¨#@£ ,§.¤&¨,,¨.
£§#,¨.£... &&#.@,..¨#
¨,@¨,¤@,¨, ,.¤££..,@,
,££,@¨§,.. , ~ - † ; - - , .£,.¤¨.§@.
&.&¤£¤@,¨£ ¨ - ~ \ \ ~ ~ , £¤.§£¨#.¤,
¤¤.¨..#.## ¨ - ~ \ : - , , .#§¨&¤#§@@
.§..,&##,¨ ¨ : ~ \ † = - . ¤,&#¨¨.¨.,
¤@,,@¨¨£¨¨ &&,#.¨¨.¨.
¨&.&@¨@¤¨§ 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. ¨§.§&¨.,¨.
¤¤§,¨.¤.¨. ¤#§.#,¨,¨£
¨,£¨¨£&¨,, ¨.§#§,¨¨@,
.@§,&,§,.. ,§¨¨&.,#¤.
£¨@#&££¨¨@ @£,@£.@.#.
&@,¨,.&,¤§ ,&#¨£§§£§@
.£¨..&&&,¨ £¨@&¨.¨¨..