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