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