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