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