§.¨¨¤.¤£,§ .@,¤£#,£§&
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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. ..§,&,@,¨#
##@.§,£@#, ¨¤@#¤@&¨£.
¨,£#£¤,.§, &,.¨¨,§£§&
¨&,¨,¤,¤£¤ §¨.,¨@¨¨,#
@£.¨@#£,.# ¤¨.,¤@.¨§¤
,#,#¨,£¨§# @¨,§,&¨£.¨
&££¤,#&#.¨ §¨§&&§£&.¨