#@*%:«~,¨.                                          .¨,~«:%*@#
¤%$†=~.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.~=†$%¤
¶@%†\-,,¨,                                          ,¨,,-\†%@¶
#£@%*\-,¨.                                          .¨,-\*%@£#
#@#¤%%^=:.                                          .:=^%%¤#@#
@¶@£**»-.¨ ¨   :   =   =              *   ~   -   . ¨.-»**£@¶@
£#¤†;«-.¨.  .   ^   ~   =            :   =   -   ,  .¨.-«;†¤#£
@§§\=-.¨.,   ¨   -   -   =          *   «   -   ,   ,.¨.-=\§§@
¶&¤$;«..¨.    .   ,   =   =        ;   -   ,   ¨    .¨..«;$¤&¶
@@&¤*\«-¨,                                          ,¨-«\*¤&@@
##@#$=*=.. as we cross the  mountain, we  can  walk ..=*=$#@##
##&§%;».,, 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.                                 ¨~-:§£¤@@#
#£¤¤%\»^..                                          ..^»\%¤¤£#
¶&£^*~,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,~*^£&¶
&$^=--.¨.¨                                          ¨.¨.--=^$&
#£%$\~^,,.                                          .,,^~\$%£#
#¶££§;=-,,                                          ,,-=;§££¶#
##@#$%/-:¨                                          ¨:-/%$#@##