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