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