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