.-=^†%§£## ##£§%†^=-.
.,«*§@§@## ##@§@§*«,.
.-=†%$§£@# #@£§$%†=-.
,-~*$$#@## ##@#$$*~-,
,.,¨,~«^%¶ ¶%^«~,¨,.,
¨¨..¨~;& , ~ = * = = ^ . #&&;~¨..¨¨
¨^«:†£¤### , - - ^ * ~ . . ###¤£†:«^¨
,.~~^†=&£@ , . = * * - , , @£&=†^~~.,
,,~/^=%* . , » / * » . . #&*%=^/~,,
.,»/=£@@## ##@@£=/»,.
¨..,=*¤@## 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. ¶@#%~~,¨..
¨^~/^\/%@@ @@%/\^/~^¨
,-=^*$§@## for it seems like there's a new moon in ##@§$*^=-,
..¨.~~*@$£ the sky. £$@*~~.¨..
,¨:,-=$¤## ##¤$=-,:¨,
,¨¨¨,:»~*@ @*~»:,¨¨¨,
,,,^«%*§## ##§*%«^,,,
,,«†§££@@@ @@@££§†«,,
¨,~^†$&@#¶ ¶#@&$†^~,¨
.,~†%$## ###&$%†~,.