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