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