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