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