...¨¨,¨.¨, @£§§§£&@.¨
§&£¤§#¤£¤£ &&##&£#¨¨£
££#¤&¤¤£@& ¨#£@§@..¨.
,&&&¤¤#£§& ,,@##,¨##.
,¨¤#§#&¤§£ .¨,@¨,,¨,.
&,,#@§@&&¤ . : « ; = « . , £@.¨¨¤¤&¤£
,¨,,@£@§#, , - - = : - , . £..#,¨#£&£
,¤¤¨¨@££¨¨ . , ~ = / ~ , . .,¨.¨,,#&.
¨¨¨..¨@¨¨£ . - ~ = = = , ¨ .@¤¤&&.¨,.
&@@@&.,,,¨ ¨,@§§..@¤§
§&¤&.¨#@£. 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. ¤§@#¨¨&&@¤
,¨,@#§£,.@ #¤¤.,.¨##.
&@.,@¤,,¨¨ #£,¨#¤.¨..
.¨¨,,.¨£§¤ .¨¨,.,.¤¤¨
&#£#¤&.¨§# #@£@£§,.¨,
,&@&@.¨,., ,§§&§¨¨¤@.
.,@£,.¤¤@§ ¨.¤#¨¨.¨,,