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