.,~^†%##@# #@##%†^~,.
.,-=†$@£#@ @#£@$†=-,.
,,¨^«:*£@£ £@£*:«^¨,,
¨,¨.~»^%¤@ @¤%^»~.¨,¨
.,¨.-:$$§@ @§$$:-.¨,.
..,«=$¤#@@ . , ~ = : ~ - . @@#¤$=«,..
,^=:§¤## . - - ^ \ - ~ . ###&¤§:=^,
,.,=:$%¤@# ¨ ~ ~ / * ~ : , #@¤%$:=,.,
,¨,:-*$&@# . ~ » / \ = ^ , #@&$*-:,¨,
.,.¨,«** #&**«,¨.,.
,,¨^~^$%## as we cross the mountain, we can walk ##%$^~^¨,,
.¨-~=^$§£@ only at night. long ago, someone here @£§$^=~-¨.
,:»^†@¤@@# 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 §§§^~-¨,..
.¨.^~*%$&£ the sky. £&$%*~^.¨.
,¨:»†%§##@ @##§%†»:¨,
..-:†$@£## ##£@$†:-..
...~/%£&@# #@&£%/~...
.¨¨~~\*%¤@ @¤%*\~~¨¨.
.¨,,,«\=$§ §$=\«,,,¨.
,¨.~~=%$@# #@$%=~~.¨,