¨,¨¨.~§*§@                                          @§*§~.¨¨,¨
,^»^*%¤#@@                                          @@#¤%*^»^,
,,~:%%£$¶@                                          @¶$£%%:~,,
¨,-«=***¤#                                          #¤***=«-,¨
.:=/$&##@#                                          #@##&$/=:.
¨,=/^£##@# .   .   ~   :              †   «   :   . #@##£^/=,¨
¨,~†=&#£##  .   ~   -   *            ^   «   ^   .  ##£#&=†~,¨
,,-~-=†*¤¤   ¨   ,   «   :          \   -   ^   .   ¤¤*†=-~-,,
,^=†*%###@    ,   ,   »   :        †   «   :   ¨    @###%*†=^,
¨^«*=&&###                                          ###&&=*«^¨
¨.~*%%&@@# 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.                                 ##@§*†\».¨
¨^-;†£&$£¶                                          ¶£$&£†;-^¨
,,¨.»\$^§¶                                          ¶§^$\».¨,,
..»\§%&#@#                                          #@#&%§\»..
.~«;$%#@@#                                          #@@#%$;«~.
¨^~†%¤@£@#                                          #@£@¤%†~^¨
.,¨-:†%%££                                          ££%%†:-¨,.