,,=*†§@¶## ##¶@§†*=,,
,,,...¨=^& &^=¨...,,,
.-==†%£¶@# #@¶£%†==-.
,.«*%@@&@¤ ¤@&@@%*«.,
.:~\§†%#@# #@#%†§\~:.
¨,¨,-†=$¶@ . ^ « = / » . , @¶$=†-,¨,¨
¨.¨¨,.~†=# ¨ ^ « / ; ~ , , #=†~.,¨¨.¨
¨.«~:=§£@¶ . ~ ~ * * = : . ¶@£§=:~«.¨
..»*^#@### , , = : : ~ : . ###@#^*»..
.¨,,¨.~=@¤ ¤@=~.¨,,¨.
¨,»^*%§### 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 #@££$$=-,¨
.,-†@#@### drawing of a muscle cow, but i could ###@#@†-,.
,,~^$&§@## care less right now. ##@§&$^~,,
,:~=§£@### ###@£§=~:,
..¨,.,*§£# for it seems like there's a new moon in #£§*,.,¨..
¨.¨¨,-:%@& the sky. &@%:-,¨¨.¨
,.~=†%#£## ##£#%†=~.,
,-»^%&## ###&&%^»-,
,.»/†£@§#§ §#§@£†/».,
..,¨^~*@§& &§@*~^¨,..
¨,«=*$&¶## ##¶&$*=«,¨
,-=^$$§### ###§$$^=-,