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