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