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