#§*†«-¨,..                                          ..,¨-«†*§#
##@@£%^;~,                                          ,~;^%£@@##
¤£†††.¨.¨¨                                          ¨¨.¨.†††£¤
#@£§%%=»-,                                          ,-»=%%§£@#
##@£§=^~:¨                                          ¨:~^=§£@##
@##¤%$†»~¨ .   :   -   *              /   »   ,   ¨ ¨~»†$%¤##@
##@¶$=;«-,  ,   -   ~   ;            /   =   ~   .  ,-«;=$¶@##
@£¤$/=»,-,   ¨   :   »   †          ^   ~   ^   .   ,-,»=/$¤£@
###¤%*;«,¨    .   .   ~   /        =   =   ,   .    ¨,«;*%¤###
#%\»-¨¨.,.                                          .,.¨¨-»\%#
¤%-.¨,¨¨.¨ 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 .^=:%£¤@£#
##$\~»~»~, care less right now.                     ,~»~»~\$##
#$@§~~.,¨,                                          ,¨,.~~§@$#
##@¤*%†~^. for it seems like there's  a new moon in .^~†%*¤@##
##¶#£%;=~. the sky.                                 .~=;%£#¶##
###¤£†=~,.                                          .,~=†£¤###
###§$§:~-¨                                          ¨-~:§$§###
¶#@£$$;~:,                                          ,:~;$$£@#¶
##@¶£%*«~.                                          .~«*%£¶@##
#@#&§%†«^¨                                          ¨^«†%§&#@#
#£@#§**«,.                                          .,«**§#@£#