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