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