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