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