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