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