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