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