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