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