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