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