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