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