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