..-*^$&£## ##£&$^*-..
.¨^~†^$&¶@ @¶&$^†~^¨.
¨¨¨.=^%£@# #@£%^=.¨¨¨
¨,.¨:~*%§# #§%*~:¨.,¨
,,.,,^«=*% %*=«^,,.,,
.¨,.,¨~~*$ . ^ = † † » - , $*~~¨,.,¨.
.¨¨¨¨~~;%% . : = \ ^ » , , %%;~~¨¨¨¨.
¨.¨,,-;%&£ . , » = ^ ~ , , £&%;-,,¨.¨
¨¨,~~*%¤ ¨ , ~ * † « , ¨ #&¤%*~~,¨¨
.¨~~:*%§#@ @#§%*:~~¨.
.,~†$£@@## 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. #££$=:~.,,
,.¨,=†$*¤@ @¤*$†=,¨.,
,..,--^%%§ for it seems like there's a new moon in §%%^--,..,
.,.,¨^»=%% the sky. %%=»^¨,.,.
,,,¨.,,»** **»,,.¨,,,
...¨¨.~/§% %§/~.¨¨...
¨,.,~«/$@¤ ¤@$/«~,.,¨
,.¨~~^=¤#¶ ¶#¤=^~~¨.,
,,.~=^£§£# #£§£^=~.,,
¨,-/%*#@@# #@@#*%/-,¨