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