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