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