.¨.-~^%¤@@                                          @@¤%^~-.¨.
,¨¨,~«†%&£                                          £&%†«~,¨¨,
..,.¨,«†$£                                          £$†«,¨.,..
.¨¨.,¨.=$£                                          £$=.¨,.¨¨.
,,.,,,.^~%                                          %~^.,,,.,,
¨¨,¨..¨¨.- .   ^   =   :              :   -   -   , -.¨¨..¨,¨¨
¨..¨.,¨,,,  ¨   :   -   /            ^   ~   -   ¨  ,,,¨,.¨..¨
,¨,,.¨¨,:=   ¨   ,   «   =          ^   »   ,   .   =:,¨¨.,,¨,
¨,¨.,,.^»*    .   ,   »   :        *   ~   ,   ,    *»^.,,.¨,¨
¨,¨,¨.-=%£                                          £%=-.¨,¨,¨
¨¨,¨¨,~$£§ as we cross  the  mountain, we  can walk §£$~,¨¨,¨¨
,¨.¨.~*£§£ 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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,¨¨¨,,¨,»%                                          %»,¨,,¨¨¨,
.¨,.¨,,.,-                                          -,.,,¨.,¨.
..,¨.¨,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,¨.¨,..