,.^=:§$£@#                                          #@£$§:=^.,
,,..-/=$#@                                          @#$=/-..,,
¨,..:~^^£§                                          §£^^~:..,¨
,,¨,..~^*§                                          §*^~..,¨,,
¨.,¨¨¨,~\†                                          †\~,¨¨¨,.¨
¨...¨¨.,~; ¨   ,   «   ;              =   ~   ~   , ;~,.¨¨...¨
.¨.¨¨¨,¨:~  ,   ,   -   :            \   »   .   ¨  ~:¨,¨¨¨.¨.
,..¨¨,,¨.:   ,   ^   =   *          ^   -   ^   ¨   :.¨,,¨¨..,
¨¨,..¨,.~-    ,   :   =   :        *   ~   :   ¨    -~.,¨..,¨¨
¨,.,,.¨^-;                                          ;-^¨.,,.,¨
.¨¨¨¨.,~:§ 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.                     #¤$==»-¨,.
..,-^*%&@#                                          #@&%*^-,..
..~†=§#£@# for it seems like there's a new moon  in #@£#§=†~..
,¨-=\%*§#@ the sky.                                 @#§*%\=-¨,
¨,,^»\*$#£                                          £#$*\»^,,¨
,,¨.:~^*§¤                                          ¤§*^~:.¨,,
.,,.¨.»;=%                                          %=;».¨.,,.
.¨,¨¨¨^=^*                                          *^=^¨¨¨,¨.
¨,¨,,...~=                                          =~...,,¨,¨
¨,,,,.¨.,«                                          «,.¨.,,,,¨