.^»/$@£@##                                          ##@£@$/»^.
.,~\$*£###                                          ###£*$\~,.
,~-:††%%#@                                          @#%%††:-~,
¨,=^**¤@##                                          ##@¤**^=,¨
,,~=*¤§§£@                                          @£§§¤*=~,,
,:=;*\*@§# ,   ,   -   ;              *   =   -   . #§@*\*;=:,
,,¨..;§¤¶@  ¨   ~   =   /            *   ~   .   ,  @¶¤§;..¨,,
¨:~*^&§###   .   :   -   =          /   »   ,   .   ###§&^*~:¨
.,¨.,.,-%&    ,   :   ~   \        \   »   :   ¨    &%-,.,.¨,.
..«^%$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$%^«..
¨.¨.¨~†#¤@ as we cross the  mountain, we  can  walk @¤#†~¨.¨.¨
,~=*%¤£### only at  night. long ago,  someone  here ###£¤%*=~,
.¨.-**%¤¤@ must've  angered the sun,  and  today it @¤¤%**-.¨.
.~«†%£%£¤£ still burns us  strangely. but  with the £¤£%£%†«~.
¨,¨-~:†§$£ 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 ###@£$*†~-
.,«;%§#### drawing of  a  muscle cow,  but i  could ####§%;«,.
.~~\^%@£## care less right now.                     ##£@%^\~~.
,^~/%*§#@#                                          #@#§*%/~^,
¨¨¨,¨.«%££ for it seems like there's  a new moon in ££%«.¨,¨¨¨
,~=*§@§@#¶ the sky.                                 ¶#@§@§*=~,
¨,-;%£#@##                                          ##@#£%;-,¨
¨^=;$§#@@#                                          #@@#§$;=^¨
¨:~^*&@###                                          ###@&*^~:¨
,:~==*%#¶@                                          @¶#%*==~:,
..,,.=«/%@                                          @%/«=.,,..
¨¨¨..^:¤#@                                          @#¤:^..¨¨¨