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