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