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