@£&=*^*~.. ..~*^*=&£@
#@#¤*$^=^. .^=^$*¤#@#
####*^=«^. .^«=^*####
####$§:~~. .~~:§$####
####$§†=:¨ ¨:=†§$####
#@#£¤§^=:, ¨ : = \ \ « , , ,:=^§¤£#@#
#@¶&%=;~^, ¨ : « = * = , ¨ ,^~;=%&¶@#
###§£%/-^¨ ¨ ^ » / / - , . ¨^-/%£§###
#£†://-¨¨¨ , - - ; / ~ , ¨ ¨¨¨-//:†£#
##@§£=*»., ,.»*=£§@##
##@&$*†«-. as we cross the mountain, we can walk .-«†*$&@##
##¶#$$=~^¨ only at night. long ago, someone here ¨^~=$$#¶##
##@&&$=~.. must've angered the sun, and today it ..~=$&&@##
#@£#¤^:»~, 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. .¨,,¨¨«§#£
##@@£†=»^¨ ¨^»=†£@@##
&£$&%~^,,, ,,,^~%&$£&
@$@/^,.¨¨, ,¨¨.,^/@$@
@#£&%§:«:¨ ¨:«:§%&£#@
##@£*%;-~. .~-;%*£@##
##@£¤^^-,¨ ¨,-^^¤£@##