£@&.£§.@¨# ¤,.@.&§.¤.
..¤¤,&§¤@& ¤,&@&.&@#¤
,&.§¤,,¨., &@,¨§¤¨.¨¤
@@@,@¨¨,,, ¨§,@¨¤¨,#§
..#&¤,,..¨ #@#£#£¨&.¨
,£¨,#¨,..£ ¨ ~ ~ : / ~ , . ,¨.¨,¤#@.¨
@¤.§§...@§ . - = \ : ~ , . ,.,.§..#¨,
,§@,£,.§,& . , « ; \ ~ : ¨ ...@¤.&&¨#
§,¤¤#¨§##£ , ~ = / \ « ^ . ,¨#¨@#,##@
¤£¨¨&¤¨.,§ ,¤¨§&,,¨
.£¨£¨§.¨@£ 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. &£,.&¤¨¨¨£
£¤&¨¤.,¨¨. ,§¨£.&¨.#@
¨¨#&&¨..., @¤@&@@,£¨,
.&.,&.,,,@ ..¨¨.#@§,,
&§.£#,.,@£ .,..#.¨@.¨
¨#¤,&¨,&,# ¨.,¤@¨&£,£
#¨&§@,§£¤£ ,.@.¤#¨£#&