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