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