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