,...«†=¤@#                                          #@¤=†«...,
,..¨-/*†§§                                          §§†*/-¨..,
.,~/^$§¶##                                          ##¶§$^/~,.
,,..,.,«$&                                          &$«,.,..,,
,~»*†¤&###                                          ###&¤†*»~,
,..,.,:\@@ ,   ,   =   *              ;   =   ,   . @@\:,.,..,
¨,~=^&@@&@  .   .   «   *            \   ~   .   ¨  @&@@&^=~,¨
,.=*^$@@##   .   .   ~   :          *   »   ~   ,   ##@@$^*=.,
.^~^;**¤&@    ,   ,   =   =        †   ~   ^   .    @&¤**;^~^.
¨,.~=*%%¤#                                          #¤%%*=~.,¨
¨.¨.¨~*/¤# 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 ###£§$:~,.
¨-«/†¤&@@# drawing of a  muscle cow,  but  i  could #@@&¤†/«-¨
¨~~†=^££@@ care less right now.                     @@££^=†~~¨
...¨.:»==§                                          §==»:.¨...
¨.,~=††=¤& for it seems  like there's a new moon in &¤=††=~,.¨
¨.¨.,~»~%& the sky.                                 &%~»~,.¨.¨
¨,.¨,,.=*@                                          @*=.,,¨.,¨
,:»†=§@@##                                          ##@@§=†»:,
..»††$£¶#@                                          @#¶£$††»..
.,=/*£#@##                                          ##@#£*/=,.
.~»;^§§@@#                                          #@@§§^;»~.
..~/%&#@##                                          ##@#&%/~..