#£££*\~.¨¨                                          ¨¨.~\*£££#
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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.                                 .¨.~^*§§£#
###¤%^^~-.                                          .-~^^%¤###
##¤¤=^=.¨¨                                          ¨¨.=^=¤¤##
#¤%=^».¨,.                                          .,¨.»^=%¤#
£%$;~,¨.,.                                          .,.¨,~;$%£
§^†-~,..¨,                                          ,¨..,~-†^§
§%^:-~,..¨                                          ¨..,~-:^%§