£§$»~=,..¨                                          ¨..,=~»$§£
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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.                                ,.~*=§@###
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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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###£*%:»:,                                          ,:»:%*£###
###§$†^»,,                                          ,,»^†$§###
&£†~»,,:,¨                                          ¨,:,,»~†£&
@@&%%†=~.,                                          ,.~=†%%&@@