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