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