#@¤$^/~~.¨                                          ¨.~~/^$¤@#
@#$§/=:¨.¨                                          ¨.¨:=/§$#@
£%*^~,,¨,.                                          .,¨,,~^*%£
§$/~.¨¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨¨.~/$§
$^~^,.,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,.,^~^$
*«..¨.,.,. .   .   ~   :              †   -   ,   ¨ .,.,.¨..«*
*†~...,,,.  .   ^   «   =            =   -   .   .  .,,,...~†*
&*^»~¨.,,¨   ¨   .   ~   :          :   -   :   .   ¨,,.¨~»^*&
#$^^--...,    ,   ^   ~   :        ;   -   ~   ¨    ,...--^^$#
#@$%=»-¨,,                                          ,,¨-»=%$@#
#¶@$$\»,¨. as we cross  the mountain, we  can  walk .¨,»\$$@¶#
###@$*^=^¨ only at night. long  ago,  someone  here ¨^=^*$@###
#¶#£$*-^,¨ must've  angered  the  sun, and today it ¨,^-*$£#¶#
¶#¤††»~.., still burns  us strangely. but  with the ,..~»††¤#¶
£%$;»,.¨,, sunset the air  comes raining back  down ,,¨.,»;$%£
@^;~^,¨.¨, and  gets thick  enough  to  breathe. it ,¨.¨,^~;^@
%*~~,.¨.¨. carries  with  it smells from far  away, .¨.¨.,~~*%
\~~.,,,,¨. colourful  sparks for the imagination, a .¨,,,,.~~\
††»~¨¨,¨¨, sharp contrast for  the stale  black  of ,¨¨,¨¨~»††
%*:«^,..¨, the night.                               ,¨..,^«:*%
@$%;~^.,.¨                                          ¨.,.^~;%$@
@#%§^~~,., the  others think i'm young, they  don't ,.,~~^§%#@
##&$*\~:,, take  me   seriously  and  i  fear  they ,,:~\*$&##
##£&%%†~,, snicker  a  bit.  you  usually  get  old ,,~†%%&£##
##¤@§;=-., before you learn  the  trade  enough  to ,.-=;§@¤##
¶¤@*\--,,. take  other people. but i  do  lead them .,,--\*@¤¶
@£$;-.,¨.. safely     forward,     every     night. ..¨,.-;$£@
¤*\=,¨..,.                                          .,..¨,=\*¤
*†«.,.,,¨. however,  currently  there seems  to  be .¨,,.,.«†*
/-,,,¨¨¨¨¨ something going on  ahead. those  around ¨¨¨¨¨,,,-/
%;~,,.,.¨, the   corner   have  stopped,  shouting, ,¨.,.,,~;%
$$†~:¨¨,¨¨ 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 ,,^=:$$§##
@¤§*\=,... applicable  on earth,  but  not all.  it ...,=\*§¤@
§%=;~.,¨.. hints  of  other  places  -  some  stars ..¨,.~;=%§
¤§\-:,¨,., reordered,  some  names  i   have  never ,.,¨,:-\§¤
%=»-,,,,., heard.    sometimes    the   dates   are ,.,,,,-»=%
†~^¨.,,... impossible.                              ...,,.¨^~†
§*«,,.¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨.,,«*§
%^\~,.¨,,, those  pages are exactly what i scramble ,,,¨.,~\^%
#£§:~...¨, for right  now. i've  stopped breathing. ,¨...~:§£#
¶&$%;~:.,, i sling open the  book of  stars  a  bit ,,.:~;%$&¶
#@@§*;~,,. too  quick, spilling all my notes on the .,,~;*§@@#
###§¤**~:, ground. one  lands  on  my foot, it is a ,:~**¤§###
##@%*\»~.¨ drawing  of  a  muscle cow, but i  could ¨.~»\*%@##
#¤@%;~.,.¨ care less right now.                     ¨.,.~;%@¤#
@$††~,¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨,~††$@
%*;~~.,,.. for it seems like there's a new  moon in ..,,.~~;*%
*/~^¨,.,., the sky.                                 ,.,.,¨^~/*
*~,..¨,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,¨..,~*
†/-,,.¨.,,                                          ,,.¨.,,-/†
*%/=^.¨..,                                          ,..¨.^=/%*
@*§\~..,,,                                          ,,,..~\§*@
@§$$:»-¨,¨                                          ¨,¨-»:$$§@
#¶#%%\»,.¨                                          ¨.,»\%%#¶#