.:«;^%@&¤#                                          #¤&@%^;«:.
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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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.^-†§*§£#@                                          @#£§*§†-^.