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