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