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