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