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