#catasterism

Once upon a time, in a land of light.

- Fotini Hadjittofi, „Major Themes and Motifs in the Dionysiaca”. In Accorinti (Ed.) Brill’s Companion to Nonnus of Panopolis

Takami Keigo does not know much. He couldn’t tell you the names of streets his mom would seldom him take to, and he doesn’t exactly know the name of his prefecture. He doesn’t know most of the names of the animals whose noises keep him awake at night, creeping in through the cracks and drafts of the shack that has been the only home he’s ever known. He can’t tell you who the prime minister is, or the emperor, or the name of the lady who his mother buys food from. His world is a little shack sitting atop a field that has played many roles over the centuries: from landfill, to unmarked graveyard, to battlefield, but today sits quietly observing the little world its three inhabitants have created on it. His window to the world beyond is a small screen that often ends up shorting, leaving him with nothing but static snow. But, if there’s something little Takami Keigo knows about, it’s the stars that peek through the broken rafters and missing shingles on the roof of his ramshackle home. They shine, bright and ancient, remnants of eons and eras past, and provide lights in the dim darkness of his home and life. The TV says they’re far away suns, balls of flaming gasses that have long gone out and all that’s left is their ghosts winking down at him in the sky, but Keigo’s mother says something different. No, Tomie says they’re gods, stuck in the night, just waiting for someone to read their stories. And, when her head isn’t filled with s̴̡͎͔̻͕̮̼͚̱̗̞͖̃̄͌̐̉̃̈͊t̵̡̮̭̖̮̜̩͉̪͚̠̥̏̃̐̆̎͜͝ͅa̷̡͕̥͉̹̦͔̞͇͔̺̼̿͑͂̚ţ̸̖̤̠̰̲̪̦̩̎̀͋̉̒̇͜í̶̧͎̜̗̙̓̔̉̐͗̍͆͂͘͝͠c̸̖̜̮͈̥͗̾̿͗̏̈́͂͗͌͑̒̕̚̚͝s̴̢̺̞͂̇̽̈́̇̄̑̎͘͝͝t̸̡͕̲̎̐̇͐̿̆͑͠a̴̖͓̮̳̺̹̦͔̳̗̹͙͙̩̋̑͋̑͆̋̈́̌͑̊͜ţ̵͔̦̰̞̺̗̹͖͈̹͂̃͛͗̾͑͗̂̒͋͜͜i̷̛̦͉̜͈̼͉̰̭̾̑͜c̵̨̧̞̭̙̮̠̼̣̮̙̖̦̪͒̏̄͒̍̏̾̏͑͜f̷̢͍̈́͋̓̌́̊̊̽̏̌̔̽͜l̶͚̥̻͕̐͑̊͒̂͂̂̌̅͋͌́̍̕̚ͅi̴̡̜̻͖͎̯͎̖̞̤͇͘ͅp̸̬̳͚̤̬͍̜͍̪̦̖̈̅͜ͅt̶̡̛̞̻̮̱̹̰͍̬̯̳̻̗̂̕͘͝h̶̡̡̹̭͕̗̜̟̯̺̃̅̃̅̈͗͐ȩ̴̡̧͙̖̳̪͕͍̻͇̐̌̏̀͗͋̑̋̃͗̿̋̕̚̕͜ͅc̵̛̼̦̠̣̭̱̫͖̟͆̋̉̓̽̀͗̌̚͠h̸̟̼̪͎͙͎̗̻̖̦̀̎̈̇͑͂̄̔̅̚̕͝͝͠͝à̵͑̓̒͜n̸̫̜͎̲͙̬͚͖̔̾͛̊̂̾ņ̷̛͍̺̭̦̼͍͍͍̜̼̘̜͖̮͂̀̄͒̇̅̍̄͘͠͠ě̸̺͍͔̈́̆̈͜l̵̨̹̭̗̝͇͔̯̯̗̣͆́̔̀͌͠w̵͇̱̼͆̍̀̃̉̄͑ĥ̵͕̗̤̰̋̈́̆̇͛̓͝͠ý̴̡̢̜̦̫̼̻̗̤͆̏̔̋͂̍̀̍͠d̵̡̫̼͇͕̰̮̲̅̒́̌̑̔͊͒̓̄̌̍͝ì̵͎͍̰̥̅̑́͘ḑ̵̜̯͉̣͓̲͖̂͌̓̓͋̓̄̔̍̓̈̀͊̚h̵̹̬̽͋̽͂̈̓͛̆̐͆̈͆͛̋̚ę̵̧̛̯̥͖̊͒̌ͅl̴͙̍̿̿̾̊̈́̌̕͝ë̶̛̘͓̮̜̻͍̦͇̫̃͆̔̽̿̐̿͊̌̇̇͂͜ͅá̴̡̖͓̜̘̯̺̟̬̳̮͕̻̊͛̎̓͜ͅv̸̹̰̭̹̥̻̩̯͉̫͍͕͑͒̐͐͋̓͜e̸̛͇͛̌̉̓͑̀̽̾̏͊̚̚a̷̢̪͍̣̥̹̮͇̭̦̰̘̪̜͑̃̅̀͆̓͗̄̊̓̓͘͜͝͝g̸̭͔͕̓͐͑̓̓̀̉ą̴̡̪̞͓̰̰̘̲̬̻͙͇̏̓͐̑͐͝i̷̩̗̩̟̙̣̣̳̯͖͚̦̋͒ń̶̡̨̩̞͔̤̜̫̈́̓̋̓̅̒̃̕͜͝ͅh̵̡͉̪̙̯̺̝̣̩̗̤̙̼̞͐̅̀͑̓̒͗̐̔͝a̵̝͘v̸̳̾̊́̈́͒͑̇̊͊̽̉͊̆ͅę̷̨̗̪̥̬̦̏͝t̵̺͖̗̝̪͔̘̝͕͈̦̹͉̰̉̍̑̊͂͒̅̋̉̀͜o̷̝͓̪͐͂͂͐̇̓̆̕f̴̡̬͖͎͆͗̃ͅi̴̺͚͗̿͋͌̀̉̀̔͗́̈́͌͊ṉ̸̡̢͈̞͓̣͍̖͔̹͙̝̠̯̿̐̑̍͘͘ḑ̴̛̯͔͔͔̩͇͖͙͆͊ͅh̶̨͈͇̠̘̑̅̓̑̒į̸̙̜̺̹̖͉̖̫̖͂̾m̴̡̧̧̩̹̣̭̜͚̣͛̑͌͋͆́͐̈̐́͘͝į̵̌̽̐͂̆̾́͘͜͝ͅc̷̢̱͓̬̤̻̩̽̋̀̑̀̈́́̐͒͝a̸̢̠̼̼͕͕̳̼̖̰̩̥̮̼̲͂̀́̈́͌̔̃͋͂͘͠͠n̵̯̪̏̃̽̐̓̐̊̃̂̐̐̚̕s̷͓͉͔̖̱̞̫̪̖̀̓͒͑͠e̸̛̼͉̞̣̥̤̫͈̝̩̺̔̓̀́̈́̌̚͝ȩ̷͕̘̳͍̬͎͈̜̙̝͖̾̄̑̄̈́͛͂͜͜͝s̵͓̩͑́̕e̸̛͇̝͚̼͙̗͈͕͚͔͆̋̔̓͋̌͜͝e̶̡͈͉̼͇͍̓͐̓̔́̉̽̈s̵̡̧̘̲̼̝͚̙̮̓̒̆͌̈́̎̋̆̈͘͝͠ō̶̤̖̫̩̬̆̈́ẗ̸̨̜̼͉͉̲̣̫̘͍̖́̉͜ở̴̦͎͕̳̮̺̖̪̣͌͛̈́͒̓̈́́͘̚̚͜o̸͔͇͕̟͗m̴̢̱̫̘͓̼͍͓̪͐͑̑̂̎̎͒̚͝u̶̡̫̖̣͔͋͐͗̈́̓̇̂͗̉̆̓͂͘͘c̶̨͖̻̗̹̬̦̮͛̔̔͐͆̔̑͛̍̓͆h̵̫̀̓́́s̷̡̛̝̯͇͈̮̔͊́̎̚̚͝͝ţ̶͓̰̣̺͍͔̦͒͋̆̍͂͛ḁ̵͊̂̀̓̔t̸̬͕͈̲̀̀͐̍̈́̂̽͐͌̃͛̚̚͜ḯ̷̖̞̣͖͔̮̉̒̋̂̒̈̉̅c̸̫͔̆̈͗͑̽̐͆̇͌̌s̵̠͌̃ẗ̷̨̢͚̦̖͈̗̜̟̯̣̥́̆̾̍̽̀͜ą̸̰̭̻̻̺̖͉̥̲̻̙̩̓̎͛͆̐ţ̵̟̜͖̫̥̹̺͑̈́̌̈́̄̎̇͑͊̄̒ͅį̵̢͔͇̬͖͈͗̇ͅc̷̮̟͖͔̩͈̼̒͗͜ͅ, she and her eyes can divine the tales the gods have left for mortals to read. So, no Keigo doesn't know much - except that the stars have a lot to say to him.