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