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