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