#£$@§$:~:¨                                          ¨:~:$§@$£#
#@¶£%§;~:.                                          .:~;§%£¶@#
##@#&$=~-.                                          .-~=$&#@##
#£§#¤%^«:.                                          .:«^%¤#§£#
#@#&¤%=~:,                                          ,:~=%¤&#@#
##£#$%*~,. ¨   ,   »   *              \   =   .   ¨ .,~*%$#£##
@&§&%^\«-,  ¨   ,   -   \            †   =   ^   ,  ,-«\^%&§&@
§**^=,...¨   ,   ~   -   ;          \   ~   .   ,   ¨...,=^**§
###@&*†-^.    ¨   ~   -   \        =   -   :   ,    .^-†*&@###
@£@=†*=~^¨                                          ¨^~=*†=@£@
§&$=*;=:,¨ as  we cross  the mountain, we  can walk ¨,:=;*=$&§
@§†.¨,,.¨¨ 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.                                 ¨,«^*%####
£¤@&£^*»^¨                                          ¨^»*^£&@¤£
##@#$%\-:,                                          ,:-\%$#@##
¤%%:~:¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨:~:%%¤
#£/~¨.,,.¨                                          ¨.,,.¨~/£#
###@%**~^.                                          .^~**%@###
#££#§*=«,,                                          ,,«=*§#££#