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