.,~^†%##@#                                          #@##%†^~,.
.,-=†$@£#@                                          @#£@$†=-,.
,,¨^«:*£@£                                          £@£*:«^¨,,
¨,¨.~»^%¤@                                          @¤%^»~.¨,¨
.,¨.-:$$§@                                          @§$$:-.¨,.
..,«=$¤#@@ .   ,   ~   =              :   ~   -   . @@#¤$=«,..
,^=:§¤&###  .   -   -   ^            \   -   ~   .  ###&¤§:=^,
,.,=:$%¤@#   ¨   ~   ~   /          *   ~   :   ,   #@¤%$:=,.,
,¨,:-*$&@#    .   ~   »   /        \   =   ^   ,    #@&$*-:,¨,
.,.¨,«**&#                                          #&**«,¨.,.
,,¨^~^$%## as we  cross  the mountain, we  can walk ##%$^~^¨,,
.¨-~=^$§£@ only  at night. long ago,  someone  here @£§$^=~-¨.
,:»^†@¤@@# 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 §§§^~-¨,..
.¨.^~*%$&£ the sky.                                 £&$%*~^.¨.
,¨:»†%§##@                                          @##§%†»:¨,
..-:†$@£##                                          ##£@$†:-..
...~/%£&@#                                          #@&£%/~...
.¨¨~~\*%¤@                                          @¤%*\~~¨¨.
.¨,,,«\=$§                                          §$=\«,,,¨.
,¨.~~=%$@#                                          #@$%=~~.¨,