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