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