#£&^«.¨... ...¨.«^&£#
###§&†*=^. .^=*†&§###
£¤$:-..¨¨. .¨¨..-:$¤£
###@&=†«,, ,,«†=&@###
£%»,¨.,¨¨, ,¨¨,.¨,»%£
#@#@§†==,. . : - = ; « , . .,==†§@#@#
@@$%†=»-.¨ . - » : : » , . ¨.-»=†%$@@
###§¤=;«:. ¨ : ~ / ; = : ¨ .:«;=¤§###
#&*=\~:.,. ¨ , ~ ^ † « ^ ¨ .,.:~\=*
#@@¤¤%;=:. .:=;%¤¤@@#
£¤$§%%/«^. as we cross the mountain, we can walk .^«/%%§$¤£
#####@%^«: 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 ,.,.,»~=@@
##£§@$\»^. impossible. .^»\$@§£##
&*~»...,¨, ,¨,...»~*&
#@£§**†-,. those pages are exactly what i scramble .,-†**§£@#
#@#££*=~:¨ for right now. i've stopped breathing. ¨:~=*££#@#
£@&%=-..,. i sling open the book of stars a bit .,..-=%&@£
##@§%†^=-, too quick, spilling all my notes on the ,-=^†%§@##
##@¤@†=~:. ground. one lands on my foot, it is a .:~=†@¤@##
@##&¤=†=:¨ drawing of a muscle cow, but i could ¨:=†=¤#@
##@@&**«^. care less right now. .^«**&@@##
@#@†/«~«:¨ ¨:«~«/†@#@
#@£§**:».. for it seems like there's a new moon in ..»:**§£@#
§^~^~..¨.¨ the sky. ¨.¨..~^~^§
#@£¤$*^~:, ,:~^*$¤£@#
##£&@*†»~. .~»†*@&£##
##@@%*=~~. .~~=*%@@##
#§&^§««-,, ,,-««§^&§#
¶£†.,,¨¨.. ..¨¨,,.†£¶
#@=«~-¨,,, ,,,¨-~«=@#