##%&$;^=~.                                          .~=^;$&%##
&$$~~-,..,                                          ,..,-~~$$&
##@¤@†==^.                                          .^==†@¤@##
##¶&%%/-^.                                          .^-/%%&¶##
###¤$^/=~¨                                          ¨~=/^$¤###
##¶#$=/~.. ¨   ^   ~   *              ^   »   :   , ..~/=$#¶##
##@¤§^:~^.  ¨   .   -   :            †   «   ,   .  .^~:^§¤@##
@#¶&@^/»-,   ¨   ,   -   †          ;   =   ,   .   ,-»/^@&¶#@
###&£*=~^.    ,   .   -   =        ^   ~   ,   .    .^~=*£&###
##¶£$%==.,                                          ,.==%$£¶##
##@&$%†-., as  we  cross the mountain, we  can walk ,.-†%$&@##
@££&@%†--¨ 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.                                 ,.~†^£§*@&
@@@§¤^^«:,                                          ,:«^^¤§@@@
###£¤$/~:,                                          ,:~/$¤£###
#@%$-,¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨,-$%@#
#@#£¤$;»~¨                                          ¨~»;$¤£#@#
&§$^%*†-.¨                                          ¨.-†*%^$§&
##£@*^^~-¨                                          ¨-~^^*@£##