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