,-~\%%#@@# #@@#%%\~-,
.¨,¨¨.,»^@ @^»,.¨¨,¨.
.,«=~==£¤¶ ¶¤£==~=«,.
¨¨,.»~^=§@ @§=^~».,¨¨
,,,¨..-†%§ §%†-..¨,,,
,.,,.=\%=£ , ~ » = ^ « ~ ¨ £=%\=.,,.,
,,,¨,~%¤£# , ~ « = ; = ~ , #£¤%~,¨,,,
¨^»*=£#£## , - ~ : : - ~ ¨ ##£#£=*»^¨
,¨..¨,†@## . , - / / - ~ ¨ ##@†,¨..¨,
.¨,¨¨-«\§@ @§\«-¨¨,¨.
¨,~*$££§## as we cross the mountain, we can walk ##§££$*~,¨
,¨¨,.~^§§£ 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. @#£/~.~,..
¨,==§%£@## ##@£%§==,¨
.¨.¨..~*£@ @£*~..¨.¨.
..,=/\*§§¤ ¤§§*\/=,..
¨.¨,*\*££# #££*\*,¨.¨
¨..,,.,\$¤ ¤$\,.,,..¨
¨¨.,..-*&# #&*-..,.¨¨