.:~::;$$@@                                          @@$$;::~:.
¨.-†%$§*##                                          ##*§$%†-.¨
¨^~\%%&@##                                          ##@&%%\~^¨
,:-/*£@###                                          ###@£*/-:,
.:~†/§$†§@                                          @§†$§/†~:.
,-»/*%@#@# .   .   «   /              =   ~   ,   , #@#@%*/»-,
,-~/^$&@@£  ¨   ^   ~   /            ;   ~   ,   ¨  £@@&$^/~-,
,.«^§&#&#@   ¨   :   »   ;          ^   »   .   .   @#&#&§^«.,
¨¨..¨,:$£@    ¨   ^   «   ^        /   ~   ,   ,    @£$:,¨..¨¨
¨:-*^&@@##                                          ##@@&^*-:¨
,.«:*$§@## as we  cross  the mountain, we can  walk ##@§$*:«.,
..¨.^^*£@@ 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 ####¤*=--¨
.^«==$£¶@# the sky.                                 #@¶£$==«^.
,,»=*¤#¶##                                          ##¶#¤*=»,,
.,,-,==**£                                          £**==,-,,.
.:«†*§§#@@                                          @@#§§*†«:.
¨.~†$&££##                                          ##££&$†~.¨
,~~†*$¤###                                          ###¤$*†~~,
¨,«**$§@##                                          ##@§$**«,¨