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