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