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