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