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