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