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