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