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