.~«/=¤%&§&                                          &§&%¤=/«~.
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.~-:†*&¤££                                          ££¤&*†:-~.
,:«†*%%%=£ .   -   «   ;              ^   ~   ,   ¨ £=%%%*†«:,
¨,-*†£@¶##  ¨   :   ~   ;            ;   =   ,   ¨  ##¶@£†*-,¨
¨~«^%£@¶##   ¨   ,   »   ^          :   ~   :   ¨   ##¶@£%^«~¨
¨,..~-^%*§    ¨   -   »   ^        =   =   :   ,    §*%^-~..,¨
,~-\=§£¶@#                                          #@¶£§=\-~,
¨-=**$#@## as we  cross the  mountain, we can  walk ##@#$**=-¨
..¨.:~$%$# 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.                                 ¤§^:,¨..,¨
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