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