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