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