#@#¤¤=^-~.                                          .~-^=¤¤#@#
§*†,,.¨.¨¨                                          ¨¨.¨.,,†*§
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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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#@@£§^\«,¨ ¨,¨ ¨. .~*»¨ ,, ¨.,                      ¨,«\^§£@@#
###&@**~:¨ ¨¨. ,, ¨-:~¨ ,, .,.                      ¨:~**@&###
##££&%=-,¨ ¨.. .. ,»*~, ,. ¨,¨                      ¨,-=%&££##
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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.                     ¨,¨..~»«$#
##£&%$/-,.                                          .,-/$%&£##
###@£&†~:, for it seems like there's a  new moon in ,:~†&£@###
#§\»««¨¨,. the sky.                                 .,¨¨««»\§#
##¶¤£^=~,¨                                          ¨,~=^£¤¶##
##@§£%\=~.                                          .~=\%£§@##
@#@&$=*=~.                                          .~=*=$&@#@
##£&%*†~:,                                          ,:~†*%&£##
¶@@£*%*»,.                                          .,»*%*£@@¶
§¤¤&\:«,.¨                                          ¨.,«:\&¤¤§