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