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