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