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