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