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