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