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