§@¨@¤.,. ¨&@£¨,¨£,¨
.§¤,,.£¨,# ¤¨¨§..¤&¨#
§¨£..§¤¨&. £.§£¨#.¤¤¤
¤¤#.£.@§£¨ &@,&§@@,.¨
,.¤£&&..&& .£@¨.,#..&
,§,¨,&,#¨, , , = ^ = » , . §.£.¨#&.#¤
¤@¨,#££@,, , . - = ^ ~ : , ¤@¤¨&,@§,#
,@.#¨.,£,. . . ~ ; = ~ , . ,.£&@@¨§#.
¤¤§@¨.¤£¨, ¨ - - : / ~ , ¨ ,@,.¨£@¨§,
.,.#,£¨§¨, @@,.¤¨§#£¤
¨.&&&¤@&¨. 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. §,#£¨#¨&¤@
#@§¨¤¨&§§. &@,#&¤¤.,¨
.,¤&£@¨,£§ .¤#,..&..¤
,¤¨..§¨&,, @,£.¨£#,&£
#£.¨§#@#,, &¤¤,§.¤@,@
,#,¤,,.@., .¨£@§@¨¤§,
¤&§§..#£., .#,,¨£@¨&.