¨~~=$%*@#§                                          §#@*%$=~~¨
¨,,.,¨=~§§                                          §§~=¨,.,,¨
,...-«:$¤¤                                          ¤¤$:«-...,
¨,»;*$#@##                                          ##@#$*;»,¨
,:=:=*%†§§                                          §§†%*=:=:,
.~~†%%@¶@# .   .   «   /              ^   =   ,   ¨ #@¶@%%†~~.
.¨¨~\;§$%@  .   :   «   ^            /   «   -   ,  @%$§;\~¨¨.
,:-:=£¤£##   ¨   .   -   /          ;   »   :   ,   ##£¤£=:-:,
¨,¨.»$§£¤#    .   ,   -   /        =   ~   ^   ,    #¤£§$».¨,¨
¨¨,¨,,*%@@                                          @@%*,,¨,¨¨
,-~;%§£@@# 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.                     #%%$$$/~,¨
.:=/:=†@£#                                          #£@†=:/=:.
,.=;%$#¶## for it seems like there's  a new moon in ##¶#$%;=.,
¨¨¨,.*:§¤@ the sky.                                 @¤§:*.,¨¨¨
¨..¨,..\£#                                          #£\..,¨..¨
.¨¨¨..-=*#                                          #*=-..¨¨¨.
,~~*§$$¤¤#                                          #¤¤$$§*~~,
¨¨.¨-,*:$#                                          #$:*,-¨.¨¨
.:~\†£#@##                                          ##@#£†\~:.
¨,,,«/†£@§                                          §@£†/«,,,¨