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