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