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