¨¨.:-^=&£@                                          @£&=^-:.¨¨
..^-:*%§¶@                                          @¶§%*:-^..
.-~†=%#£##                                          ##£#%=†~-.
,¨~==*¤££#                                          #££¤*==~¨,
.¨,--*%*¤#                                          #¤*%*--,¨.
¨,.¨.»/%%& ¨   :   ~   ;              \   «   :   . &%%/».¨.,¨
¨,.¨..~*†$  .   -   ~   ^            ;   -   ,   ,  $†*~..¨.,¨
,,....,=^$   ¨   ,   ~   =          ^   ~   .   ¨   $^=,....,,
¨.,.¨¨,^«=    ,   .   ~   *        ;   ~   ^   ¨    =«^,¨¨.,.¨
,.,.¨¨:~\§                                          §\~:¨¨.,.,
.,¨,..»/*£ as we  cross  the mountain,  we can walk £*/»..,¨,.
¨.,,-«\=¤§ only at  night.  long ago,  someone here §¤=\«-,,.¨
¨.¨.»\$¤&@ must've  angered the  sun,  and today it @&¤$\».¨.¨
¨¨,==§¤§@# 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.                                 @#¤$:«,¨,¨
,,.,:«;$¤&                                          &¤$;«:,.,,
..,,.-=/=$                                          $=/=-.,,..
.,¨,¨¨,»†§                                          §†»,¨¨,¨,.
,.¨,¨..,~:                                          :~,..¨,¨.,
¨,¨.¨.~~;%                                          %;~~.¨.¨,¨
¨,,¨¨^»:§%                                          %§:»^¨¨,,¨