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