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