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