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