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