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