@$\~-,..,,                                          ,,..,-~\$@
#@#@§^;«,¨                                          ¨,«;^§@#@#
#@$=-¨.¨..                                          ..¨.¨-=$@#
##£¤$††»^¨                                          ¨^»††$¤£##
###@&†;~.,                                          ,.~;†&@###
#¤¤#§*^=^. .   :   =   †              †   «   .   . .^=^*§#¤¤#
###£$*:=~,  ¨   ,   =   ^            \   -   :   .  ,~=:*$£###
#@#&%†\=~,   ¨   -   »   *          †   ~   .   .   ,~=\†%&#@#
¤§§=$*;»..    ,   .   =   *        /   =   .   .    ..»;*$=§§¤
##¶£&†;=.¨                                          ¨.=;†&£¶##
###£%%/«^. as we cross  the  mountain,  we can walk .^«/%%£###
##¶£§^;~:. only at  night. long  ago, someone  here .:~;^§£¶##
@£@££*/»:. must've angered  the  sun,  and today it .:»/*££@£@
@¤@^*:~:,. still burns us strangely.  but  with the .,:~:*^@¤@
###§&*:»~¨ sunset the air comes  raining back  down ¨~»:*&§###
£&\,^,.,.. and  gets  thick  enough to breathe.  it ..,.,^,\&£
#£=*«^-,,¨ carries  with it smells  from  far away, ¨,,-^«*=£#
¶@@;:/;-,¨ colourful  sparks for the imagination, a ¨,-;/:;@@¶
¤£%=**:--¨ sharp contrast for  the  stale black  of ¨--:**=%£¤
@###@*\~,¨ the night.                               ¨,~\*@###@
£££\†-¨¨.,                                          ,.¨¨-†\£££
##¤*~,,.,¨ the  others think i'm young,  they don't ¨,.,,~*¤##
@£%%†/,,,¨ take  me  seriously  and  i   fear  they ¨,,,/†%%£@
#£££*$==^¨ 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 ,:«†$%&###
#*^^...¨.. drawing  of  a muscle cow,  but i  could ..¨...^^*#
§#@¤§~.,., care less right now.                     ,.,.~§¤@#§
¤%*/†~¨..,                                          ,..¨~†/*%¤
##£#%**~:. for it seems like there's a new moon  in .:~**%#£##
##£:=..¨¨, the sky.                                 ,¨¨..=:£##
##¶#£*/»-¨                                          ¨-»/*£#¶##
@@£§£†^~~.                                          .~~^†£§£@@
###&$§;=~,                                          ,~=;§$&###
&#%%~~=,-¨                                          ¨-,=~~%%#&
####£^=~~.                                          .~~=^£####
§$&/»~»»:¨                                          ¨:»»~»/&$§