¨,...-~/†&                                          &†/~-...,¨
,¨,,:=:^£&                                          &£^:=:,,¨,
¨,,.«:^$@¶                                          ¶@$^:«.,,¨
¨,,«**£&#@                                          @#&£**«,,¨
.,~^%&&###                                          ###&&%^~,.
.¨:=/^*£#@ ¨   -   «   ^              \   ~   -   ¨ @#£*^/=:¨.
¨..~=^*%£@  .   ,   »   ;            \   »   .   .  @£%*^=~..¨
¨¨,¨:-;**@   ¨   ,   ~   †          /   »   :   ¨   @**;-:¨,¨¨
.,¨¨¨.=:*$    .   ^   ~   =        ;   »   ~   ¨    $*:=.¨¨¨,.
¨¨,,.¨-~*^                                          ^*~-¨.,,¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.¨~=^ as we  cross  the mountain, we  can walk ^=~¨.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.,,,¨:-\^ only at  night. long  ago, someone  here ^\-:¨,,,.¨
¨.¨¨.,~*%% must've angered the  sun, and  today  it %%*~,.¨¨.¨
..¨,~«=%¤£ still  burns  us strangely. but with the £¤%=«~,¨..
¨.¨-=/^%£@ sunset the  air comes  raining back down @£%^/=-¨.¨
¨¨-~;*$### 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 $/=~,,.,,,
,.,¨¨-~/†% drawing of a  muscle cow,  but  i  could %†/~-¨¨,.,
.,¨.-»†=%@ care less right now.                     @%=†»-.¨,.
¨..,=*§$@@                                          @@$§*=,..¨
.¨--:%%¤£# for it seems  like there's a new moon in #£¤%%:--¨.
,-«=**#¶## the sky.                                 ##¶#**=«-,
.,,=†^*&@#                                          #@&*^†=,,.
¨.¨.«\*@&@                                          @&@*\«.¨.¨
..¨,,-/=&&                                          &&=/-,,¨..
,¨¨.,,~†*$                                          $*†~,,.¨¨,
,¨.,¨,:»†%                                          %†»:,¨,.¨,
....,¨,.~=                                          =~.,¨,....