.,..¨.=;*@                                          @*;=.¨..,.
¨,,¨,,^~/§                                          §/~^,,¨,,¨
¨,¨¨.^-:$£                                          £$:-^.¨¨,¨
.,.¨-~\%%¤                                          ¤%%\~-¨.,.
¨.¨,~^^&¤@                                          @¤&^^~,¨.¨
.¨,«==£@## ,   ,   »   ^              ;   «   .   ¨ ##@£==«,¨.
.-~/$£##@#  .   ,   »   ;            *   ~   ~   ¨  #@##£$/~-.
¨.,»^†£#¶#   ,   -   =   †          /   =   ^   .   #¶#£†^»,.¨
.,,:~/=%§#    ,   ~   -   /        *   =   -   ,    #§%=/~:,,.
.¨..,=;$&&                                          &&$;=,..¨.
.,¨.,~»^$@ as we  cross the mountain, we  can  walk @$^»~,.¨,.
,,¨¨.,:=*$ 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.                                 ¶@&=†«..,,
¨.~~*§£§£@                                          @£§£§*~~.¨
¨~-;=%£¶@#                                          #@¶£%=;-~¨
¨.:~†^£#¶#                                          #¶#£^†~:.¨
.,¨:»**@£@                                          @£@**»:¨,.
,¨¨¨,~:%&#                                          #&%:~,¨¨¨,
..,,¨,~\*%                                          %*\~,¨,,..