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