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