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