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