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