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