§.&£@.,,.@ ,,¤.¨¨¨,,¨
,.§¨§&.,,# ...@.¨.,¨¨
...,#£§,.¤ &,¨¨#,¨..¨
,¨¨.@,¤¤.£ ,¤,¨.&..¨,
,¨¨,,,#£¨, ,,#,,,§..¨
¨.¨.¨,£§&, ¨ ~ ~ : : ~ , ¨ ¤,,¤..¨§¨¨
¨.,.,,#,#£ , ^ ~ ^ = » , ¨ .&,,¤...§.
.¨,.¨.,,¤& . , « ; * « . , .,£.,£.¨.#
@¨..¨,.,#¨ . ~ « † : = ^ , ¨.¨§.,§..¨
.£,,¨,.,., .,¨.#¨.§¨¨
,¨#,,.,¨., 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. @.,.¤,,,,¨
¨.¨¨&&@¨.§ ,&¨,¨¤.,.,
....§.£&¨¨ ,,£¨.¨£,..
,...,¨##@, §,¨#¨,,&..
,¨,¨¨¨£¨§£ ¨#,¨¤...§¨
¨.,¨,¨,¨§# ¨,§¨,&,¨¨&
&,..¨,,.¤. ,¨¨&¨,#,,,