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