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