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