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