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