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