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